Rose in the Wind
by redtruckgirl
Summary: Stephanie unexpectedly ends up with Ranger in the wind. Babe HEA
1. Chapter 1

Characters not mine, credit to JE

Steph POV

I didn't think my day was going to be good the moment I woke up today. I just had this feeling. My name is Stephanie Plum and I am a bounty hunter in Trenton NJ, although not the most graceful nor professional in terms of skill, I do have a 98% capture rate thanks to my persistence and willingness to never live with my parents again. I live in a crappy apartment but its mine, ugly bathroom, mismatched furniture and all. I went to bed early last night after a long day in the rain. My car for once did not explode, get stolen, shot up or catch fire, instead it just died while I drove down Route 1 to Quaker Bridge mall. Luckily it was after lunch and no one was behind me. I was going a good 65 mph and all of a sudden it slowed down until I was at a complete stop. I got myself into the side lane mostly and got out to look under the hood. It wasn't smoking or making any noises and was only a month old but what did I expect for $200. It didn't help that my rent was due next week, I had 1 pop tart left in my cabinet and an FTA at the mall just waiting for me to grab him.

I kicked my tire a few times and smacked the hood. I just couldn't get a break today. My phone started ringing the batman theme song so I jumped on the hood to sit and answered.

"Yo!" I said

"Babe" He said amused. "Any reason your hanging out on the side of the road on Route 1 for the last 10 minutes?" "UGGGH... My car died and I'm not sure it can be saved but at least it's in one piece and not on fire."

"Progress." I could just feel him lift up the side of his mouth amused. "See you in ten."

No goodbye. But that was Ranger. He didn't like to waste time with words, he was a man of action and my own personal batman. It helped he put multiple trackers on me and my car to keep tabs on my safety. That use to annoy me but Ranger does what Ranger wants. If I'm being honest he has saved me more times then I can count, so I ignore them. It's nice knowing someone has my back. I usually bring Lula to be my partner but today she has a date and needed a new leopard spandex dress 3 sizes to small and a wax. We are more like Thelma and Louise but its comforting that she carries a gun when I don't.

As I sat on my hood with my head in my hands I felt a tingle on my neck and got a whiff of Bulgari shower gel. Only one man I knew smelled that good and he looked even better. Six feet tall, muscular, all in black with an aura of bad boy.

"Babe" He gave me that full 1000 watt smile.

"I said that out loud didn't I. Damn." He lifted my chin with his finger and gave me a whisper of a kiss.

"Come on Babe I'll take you where ever you need to go. My men will take care of the car." As I slid into the sleek Porsche cayenne I moaned. The leather was like butter so soft and nice on my skin. All of Ranger's cars were nice, new, black, and sexy. My cars were the cheapest that I could find that would run.

"Where to?"

"The Mall. My FTA Louie the toes 26 years old hangs out to hit on women and play with their feet."

I handed Ranger the file once we parked. "Wanted for 2 counts of assault after he hit on the wrong woman pretending to be a shoe salesman to play with her toes. He tried to suck on them and the woman screamed. Her boyfriend came over to help her and Louie hit the guy and ran away. The boyfriend hit the display and got a concussion. Unfortunately he dropped his wallet as he was running and the cops grabbed him later that night at home. No priors and not very dangerous just gross. I tried to catch him all week and anytime he has seen me he is like the flash."

"What makes you think he is here today?"

"Grandma Mazur talked to his cousin Sharon at a viewing and told her he needed new sneakers because his were worn down from running from me. The mall would give him the most options for shoes and women."

We started in the smaller shoe stores working our way to the larger department stores. Ranger put his hand on my lower back to guide me through the mall. We just entered Macy's when I had a feeling I might get lucky.

"Bingo" I pointed him out to Ranger. Louie was pretending to size a woman's foot and admiring her new pedicure. I walked up behind him and slipped one cuff on his wrist while ranger grabbed his other arm. Louie the toes Fieldman, I represent your bail bondsman Vincent Plum and I am here to take you to be rescheduled for your court appearance you missed last week." He tried to wiggly out of our grasp but when Ranger growled "stop" Louie looked like he would pee himself.

Ranger drove us to the police station silently while Louie wouldn't shut up about how he was innocent and it was all a big misunderstanding. I walked Louie into the station and Big Dog and Eddie were drinking coffee by the door. They both smiled at me.

"Whoa Steph looking clean." I gave them the finger while I walked by. I waited for the new guy to fill out my slip. Triple checking his work which was really annoying me in the moment. I stood tapping my nails on the table. He got the hint after my third sigh. When I walked out Ranger was leaning against his car with his arms and legs crossed. He tossed me his keys.

"Take the Porsche till you get a replacement." He kissed my forehead and jumped into the Black SUV with Tank.

Joe Morelli appeared in his red Ducati and parked in front of the Porsche.

"Cupcake where's your car?" he said exasperated

"Dead"

Although he looked annoyed he was looking pretty good in his leather jacket and dark jeans. He was my on again off again boyfriend and we had definitely been off the last month. We had a stupid fight over me cooking when I decided to make peanut butter sandwiches for dinner with a side of potato chips. He wanted a home cooked meal and made a comment about me maybe getting a few lessons from my mother. Well that conversation ended up with a lot of yelling and he walked out. It's not that I didn't want to be an awesome cook I did. I liked watching the food network but I was not skilled. No matter how much I tried it usually came out burned or disgusting unless it was a freezer meal and those only have so much taste. My mother tried for years to mold me into an awesome cook like her and Valerie with no luck.

"Huh that's a first. I was just picking up some files but I need to talk to you. Early dinner at Pino's in an hour?"

"Sure Morelli." I jumped into the Porsche on my way to the bonds office. Connie was reading her latest romance novel when I heard a lot of moaning coming from Vinnie's office.

"Hey Connie, who's he with?"

"Just himself and the internet. At least it doesn't sound like national geographic in here anymore." I shivered.

"My receipt, any new files?"

"Yeah one mid level, Anthony Brunswick, owns Brunswick's gym 2 blocks over. Caught his wife with one of his employees at home doing the full Monty. Snapped and grabbed her clothes, purses, pictures and made a huge bond fire on his front lawn after he tried to kill his employee who escaped out a bathroom window naked."

"Lovely. Hopefully I can get him today. Later Connie." I still had 50 minutes until dinner with Joe and I was only few blocks away from Anthony. First time offenders usually come along quietly when I asked them to reschedule. I don't mention the increase to the bond or the time it takes for them to sit until Vinnie comes for them again.

I parked in the lot for Brunswick gym, left my purse in the car and took my cuffs, pepper spray and stun gun. My .38 special was home in my cookie jar, I didn't have any bullets for it anyway. I walked into the small gym and asked the receptionist for Anthony. She pointed to a large man 5'9 250 pounds punching the crap out of a punching bag. Great! I checked my stun gun and hooked it on my belt in the back of my pants.

"Anthony Brunswick?" He turned his head lightly. "Who wants to know."

"Stephanie Plum. I work for your bail bondsman and you missed your court date I am here to take you to be rescheduled."

"NO, go away before I make you go away, I'm not in the mood today."

"I understand but it will be quick. I know your upset about what happen, trust me I get it. I did something very similar to my cheating ex husband when I caught him with my nemesis but this situation won't go away, you missed your court appearance."

" I said leave me alone!"

He turned and pushed me hard to the ground. Son of a bitch that's gonna leave a bruise. He started to walk away so I chased after him with my pepper spray. He tried to grab it as I sprayed. I kneed him in the balls and we tumbled down. We were rolling on the ground until I finally got on top and stunned his arm. I rolled him over and cuffed his hands and checked myself out. Ripped shirt, torn belt. Bruised check, bruised arms and chest. Damn. He started to wake saying he was blind.

"Then get up right now or I will stun you again. I tried to be nice but you did this to yourself now MOVE!" I got him in the Porsche and placed the ankle cuffs on him. I parked right in front of the drop off point. I checked myself in the mirror. I grabbed my make up bag to try and cover my bruises. I gave up after a few minutes and couldn't listen to Anthony moan anymore. Robin was at the desk this time so I was in and out to get to dinner. I didn't have time to stop home and change. I was going to be five minutes late as is but at least I had food and rent money this month.

Pino's lot was packed so I was force to park in the back near the dumpster. I was walking towards the door when I heard a car screeching then multiple rapid fire gun shots. I threw myself down to the ground. I looked up a moment later and 4 Trenton cops and Morelli's gun were drawn. The cop cars had bullet holes and gasoline spilling all over the ground. I heard a familiar whoosh and the cars were in flames along with Morelli's red Ducati. Everyone took cover immediately as the explosion hit. Pino's started evacuating to the other side of the street and the cops started moving to control the scene. You could hear the sirens in the distance. Then I heard my phone with the batman theme.

"Babe you ok! Police band said a drive by shooting and car explosion at Pino's are you hurt?"

"I'm safe. Three cop cars and Morelli's Ducati took the hit. I wasn't even the target."

"Morelli's Ducati" I could feel him smirking on the phone. "Babe" and like that he was gone.

I walked over to Morelli who was still on his knees just staring at the blast.

"My motorcycle. My motorcycle." Joe looked heart broken.

"That's what insurance is for. Are you ok at least?"

"No I'm not ok! I loved that bike! Why is it where ever you go disaster strikes you!" What!

"I had nothing to do with this! I was on the other side of the lot. No one shot at me! They shot at the cars. I can't believe your blaming me for this!"

"I need a Rolaid." Joe took out the bottle from his pocket and chewed 4 tablets. "You're going to give me an ulcer or heart attack one of these days."

Eddie Garza walked over to us to make us move away from the cars to let the fire department in. He took both of our statements and asked if Joe needed a ride home.

"I'll take him." We got into the car and rode to his house silently. I parked on the street in front of his house. "You said you needed to talk to me do you want to order dinner and discuss anything?"

"No I lost my appetite. Listen I wanted to talk to you because I am going out of town on an under cover assignment for a few months. Bob will stay with my mom and grandma Bella. I.. I requested it because I can't keep stressing out over you and your job. I need some space to figure it out. It's affecting my health and my job. I'm so stressed over what may happen to you. But its also all the going back and forth. I think time away and seeing other people for a while will give us both perspective. I'm not saying we can't be friends or work together but relationship wise we need to take time separately. I'm not ready to settle down this second but that is my end game and I don't know what your end game is. I think the next few months will help you figure that out."

I think I was in shock. Never in a million years did I expect this conversation today and especially with out any yelling or Italian hand gestures.

"Cupcake say something."

"Your going out of town and you want to see other women?"

"Yeah"

"So I will be able to see other men?" Joe grimaced. "Yeah, I love you but I think it will be the best for both of us to be apart for a while. I can't keep getting 12 calls every time something is going on with you." He wasn't even looking at me anymore just staring out the window.

"Ok Joe have a good trip."

I kissed his lips one last time lightly and he got out of the car and walked into his house not looking back. I sat for a few minutes and let a tear fall. I took a few deep breaths and drove myself back to my apartment. I let myself in and listened to the calming sounds of Rex's wheel moving in the kitchen. I wasn't very hungry so I gave Rex a piece of pop tart and jumped into the shower to cry over my shitty day. After the water ran cold I took some ibuprofen for my sore body and threw on some cotton panties and one of Ranger's shirts I stole from his apartment when I Goldilocks his bed awhile back.

I woke up sometime in the night when I felt someone in the room. Usually when Ranger broke in I could feel or smell him but this was someone else. He smelled like a woodsy aftershave. I opened my eyes and a man was over my body with a needle in hand. I tried to roll away but he had a friend in the room who grabbed me while I kicked and screamed. I felt the needle prick my arm and suddenly darkness took me.

"She made some noise check the hallway and lets move out. Take the stairs." The two men moved quickly to re lock the apartment after throwing her purse into her kitchen garbage can. They jumped into the waiting black explorer moving quickly through the Trenton streets while handcuffing Steph's hands and feet.

"How long will she be out."

"Few hours. Enough to get her secured and out of Jersey. She got you in the face."

"Yeah I wasn't expecting her to be so feisty. I wonder why we had to take her and sedate her who do you think she is."

"Not our job to know. We follow orders. We'll be at the safe house in 2 hours. Secure her over night then transport her for delivery tomorrow night." The men drove silently for the rest of the night until they reached the house in the woods. They gave Steph another injection and secured her to the bed before they went to sleep themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

Ranger POV

I was sleeping in my bed when I heard my cell ringing. I looked at my clock 2 am. I looked at the caller ID and it was my handler calling me. "Manoso"

"You have 1 hour till you leave. Helicopter will arrive on top of Rangeman. Mission will be domestic for an unknown period of time." And then the call ended. I jumped out of bed and threw on my dark jeans and a grey Henley. Grabbed my leather jacket and boots, checked my weapons and started filling my go back with id's, money and weapons. I grabbed my cell to call Tank. He sounded gruff on the phone. "Yo!"

"I'm heading into the wind."

"See you in 5."

I wanted to see Babe before I left especially if I was going to be away for an undetermined amount of time. I had to leave in 45 minutes but I had to brief Tank first before I broke into her bedroom to center myself. She is the one bright thing in my dark life. I left my bag near the door and ran down to the fifth floor into my office. I checked my safe and made sure my will was up to date and my letter to Babe attached to it. Tank knocked and walked in.

" Domestic mission, leaving in 40 minutes for an unknown amount of time from the Rangeman rooftop."

"Rooftop. Must be time sensitive, I'll turn off the cameras myself."

"Everything is up to date in my safe. I don't care if the business burns down to the ground Stephanie stays safe. She has access to my apartment, cars whatever she needs. I'll tell her to call you if she gets in trouble but monitor her close." My office phone started to ring from the control room and in the pit of my stomach I knew I wasn't going to like it. I picked it up.

"Police chatter is a woman matching Stephanie's description at her apartment building was just taken by 2 men and a driver in a black SUV no license plate and no trackers have left her apartment. Closest patrol has been dispatched already to investigate." I hung up and started for the stairs. "Steph's been taken we need to check her apartment and surroundings."

"Damn Ranger you don't have time. Let me go. I'll call Morelli."

"Call him but I'm going myself."

I raced to Babe's apartment I didn't care about the speed I just needed to look for clues before it was too late. I hit her parking lot and threw the car in park. I started ringing her cell. I found her purse inside her garbage can in her kitchen. I left it near the garbage can with one of my men to check it out.

"Report!"

"I broke the door down it was secured with lock and dead bolt. Blood found in her bed a few drops here on the floor. No sign of any entry through the window but the bed looks like she put up a fight. Hal is coming over to check for prints. Witness called from across the street she is still with Carl Constanza." I looked at my watch I still had 5 minutes. I raced down and saw Tank with Carl and the woman. Tank ran over to me.

"Greta Goodkind was walking her dog and saw a curly brown haired woman knocked out in a black long t shirt with no pants on and arm bleeding being carried by one man with a baseball hat and another with a hood to a waiting black explorer. They threw her in then took off like a bat out of hell. She didn't get a license plate. When she saw what was happening she hid behind a tree and called the police. She is a fan of the bombshell bounty hunter that's why she recognized her and thought she was in trouble again. Car headed North. Cops are checking everything and all of our men have been called in to search. Did she mention any issues or enemies lately?"

"No"

"Man you need to leave right now to catch your ride. I'll find her but you need to focus so you come back to her. I swear I'll find her."

"And Morelli?" Tank grimaced.

"I called him he said he can't do this crazy life of hers anymore. That he is leaving on an undercover job in a few hours and that we can look for her. That he talked to her earlier and said they were going to start seeing other people."

"Asshole." I could just punch Morelli. He wouldn't even have a badge right now if Babe didn't clear him of murder or help him solve most of his major cases which earned him a promotion. I felt so much rage.

"Go now you can't be late. I gave Cal the order to turn off the cameras. Trust me to bring your woman home." I gave him a curt nod and ran back to my Porsche Turbo 911 to speed back to Haywood. I hit the stairs at a fierce run to my apartment to grab my bag. I hit the stairs to the roof the moment the helicopter touched down I climbed in and felt the guilt as we resumed back up into the air. I prayed to god that Tank found Babe in time. That she was safe and unhurt. I had to clear my mind. It wouldn't help to get myself killed by being distracted. I needed to trust in my best friend to find the woman I truly cared for.

The ride to D.C was long. I met my handler at a nondescript office building just as the sun was coming up. I took the elevator to the third floor and saw my handler with another agent. Someone I truly despised. Cross. I dropped my blank face into place. He had little to no moral code and liked to do his own thing by looking out for himself. He got results but they were messy. Working with him was going to be a pain in my ass. My handler took out 2 envelopes and handed both to us.

I read the documents. Not much information mostly redacted. Picture not available but a code name Rose. Mother's name classified- deceased. Father's name classified. Age classified. Height 5'7 125 pounds size 6 and no allergies. Location classified. Occupation Classified. Training none. Education classified.

Under notes it states the child was born upon the mother's death during a mission. Father rumored to be an international arms dealer and smuggler based on the agent's assignment at the time posing as his long time girlfriend to collect Intel. No evidence to support the claim that he is the child's legitimate father. The arms dealer believes the child to be his and still be alive. Reward of 80 million for her safe return. The rest of the story is blacked out until the end. Child placed with outside family 2 days after birth with new identity. Child is unaware she is adopted and must maintain that status. Will respond to the name Rose.

I looked up at my handler and waited for Cross to finish reading.

"Your assignment is to protect this woman at all costs. Information about her was leaked yesterday. We're not sure how or how much was leaked that is still being investigated. If you fail this ends both of your careers. The general himself is heading up this mission. You will check in once a month on the last day of the month to see if a code word has been left for you using a untraceable satellite phone. You can use sedation to keep her with you but no physical or psychological harm. And keep your dicks to yourself. Here are her id's only open them if she is compromised and give her this note." It was a small envelope with the name Rose on it. It was sealed with red wax and a rose seal.

"Manoso your lead. Under no circumstances are you to open that letter. When she is placed in the safe house give it to her do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Me being lead is going to piss off Cross I smile inside.

"Questions?"

Cross spoke up. "What kind of threat level are we looking at."

"Threat level unknown. Pack enough clothes and supplies and entertainment for her and yourself for minimum 3 months at the safe house. You see anyone approach shot to kill. If the safe house becomes compromised scatter and check in on the last day of each month until the threat is eliminated. You leave in 5 minutes, information about your location is in this envelope. Good luck." He stood up destroyed the packets of information he had us read and walked out. Cross turned to me. "Let's hope she cooks and cleans or this will be a long assignment. Who do you think she is that requires both of us? Usually its just one of us on these things." I just stood up and walked out.

Tank POV

Ranger is going to kill me its been hours and no sign of Steph. No prints, the blood is hers though and the door was picked and locks disengaged and then re engaged meaning someone with skill. I called Connie, Lula, Vinnie, Marylou and asked if Steph was having any problems with anyone or any threats. The men all talked to the neighbors to get any description of her kidnappers. I haven't ruled out any threat because of Ranger but he hasn't received anything indicating this is because of him. Morelli and Steph broke up a month ago so I don't think it was someone he pissed off to get back at him. I don't know how she finds this much danger when she isn't even trying. I wish Ranger would just hire her so she lived in Rangeman 24/7 it would make me worry about her a lot less. We need to figure out how to keep a gps on her at all times now too. Usually Ranger hides them in her purse, car, some pieces of clothing, some of her jewelry but she wasn't wearing any of them last night in bed. Although I did find it interesting she was wearing his shirt last night. I wish both of them just worked their stuff out it would make my life a lot easier. My phone started to ring.

"Report!"

"Traffic cameras surrounding the area and major roads were offline last night due to a glitch, no leads on the black explorer." Damn

"No one goes home until she is found. Make sure everyone is calling all contacts on the streets while I call her family. Check old FTA's and her ex husband too." I dread calling her family they are nuts on a good day but difficult and impossible when it comes to Steph.

"Hello" Grandma Mazur great.

"Mrs. Mazur this is Tank calling from Rangeman I wanted to inform your family that Steph is missing and to know if you or anyone in your house knows anything that could help us locate her. Any threats we should be made aware off." She was unusually silent. I thought for a moment she hung up. "Hold on big fella." I waited for a few more minutes and I heard a male voice come on the line. Frank Plum.

"Hello Tank?"

"Yes Sir."

"I just wanted to let you know I am sure Steph is safe and just needed some time away. You should call off the search. I have just talk to Eddie and told him the same thing. She will return when she is ready."

"Sir I don't think you understand your daughter has been kidnapped. A witness came forward and her purse was found in a garbage can and her rat on her kitchen table."

"Hamster, she has a hamster and I am sure she will turn up eventually she is resilient. If you can't look after her hamster bring him to the house and Helen will."

"Sir we can care for him our house keeper is looking after him its not necessary, but if you have any information regarding Stephanie I need to know right now." Something doesn't feel right.

"No information. Goodbye." I called the control room. "Place a shadow on the Plum house and Frank Plum. Check credit cards, tap his line, background check."

Steph POV

I wake up with a mask over my eyes and I'm bound to a bed. Just great I'm kidnapped again. At least my clothes are still on. My muscles are sore though from my fight with Anthony and I really need to pee. I scream for the bathroom. A man walks in a few minutes later and takes off the rope on my legs and unties me from the bed although I still am in hand cuffs.

"I'm taking you to the bathroom. We will not hurt you as long as you follow directions. You will pee and eat. If you try to escape you will be tied up again. If you fight you will be sedated. Now I'm removing your mask." My vision was blurry whatever he stuck me with is still in my system a little. I was wobbling to the bathroom and closed the door and tried to lock it but no lock existed. The window had bars on the inside. No weapons. Nothing to fight with. I peed and then washed my face. I drank as much water from the sink as I could. God I hope Ranger knows I'm missing. I hear a knock on the door and get a 1 minute warning before he comes in. I open the door and look at the man. Tall, blonde, short hair 6'3 with hard features but in shape. "Here mask goes back on."

"Who are you? Why are you doing this to me?"

"No talking. If you want to eat no talking." I sit on the bed and I eat a dry egg sandwich on toast. Blah I really needed a Boston cream and a bottle of water. I ate the whole thing then felt a prick again and my world goes dark.

Ranger POV

Cross and I get on a private flight with our bags to Colorado. From the airport we will drive 2 and a half hours to the cabin after we get food, supplies, clothing and entertainment for our guest. I let myself think of Steph for a moment. I hope she is ok and back home with that silly rat of hers. I don't know how she loves it so much but it suits her. It's one of the things I like about her. She thinks she isn't the motherly type but she loves Rex fiercely and always makes sure he is well fed even when she doesn't have food in her fridge for herself. I drop into my zone as Babe calls it preparing my mind for what needs to be done. Planning out routes for quick escape. Being around Babe has kept my skills for the unexpected sharp. Cross is staring at me. I narrow my eyes at him.

"Any plans I should know about?"

"When we land I'll secure the car, weapons and food. You gather supplies, entertainment and clothing for the woman. Make sure you get extra water and medical necessities."

Steph POV

I wake up again with a splitting head ache, dry mouth and tied to the bed. Ugh. I scream again to pee. The same guy walks in.

"Good your awake. Same rules as last time." I do my business and drink from the sink again. I feel like crap. I need to throw up but I can't. I just keep dry heaving. The man walks back in. I try to fight him away but he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder. I see the needle again and I start kicking and fighting with all the strength I have left. I knee him right in the jewels and make my way for the door. I get down the stairs going for the back door when I feel arms grab me. "Get me that needle." I start kicking screaming jamming my nails in his face anything to get away and then I feel the prick on my back and I go down.

"Get her into warm pants, a jacket, shoes, we need to move her in 30 minutes to catch our ride."

Ranger's POV

We get to the cabin and start to unload our supplies. I checked the security and the back up hidden car 2 miles further in the woods. That car is loaded with supplies and ammo, extra cash and extra ids. Better to be safe then sorry. The cabin is dusty looks unused for some time. No tv, computers but has a large living room and an old looking kitchen. Decent fireplace with a simple half bath and three bedrooms upstairs with 2 bathrooms. I check the monitor room off the kitchen to make sure none of the camera angles are obstructed and the ones that are I send Cross to fix. I start unloading food, securing weapons in the gun safe and making sure their is no usable weapons in the kitchen or any room in case our guest gets any ideas. I check to make sure the interior bars are secured on the windows and their is no escape for our guest if she becomes difficult.

I start wiping everything down and set up traps outside in case of unwanted visitors. Camera's are hidden in trees along the road so unwanted guests are noticed quickly along with motion sensors. The furniture is used and the beds are hard. I start making my bed as well as Rose's. Cross can make his own. We have a few hours left to prep until we have to meet the helicopter in a deserted field 3 hours North of our location to pick up Rose. I hope she isn't a pain. I have a short temper right now especially having to deal with Cross everyday which will test my legendary control. Hours pass and we get into our SUV to pick up Rose. We wear everyday clothes to blend in and follow speed limits to not bring attention to ourselves. Five minutes into our journey Cross starts to speak. Asking me personal questions trying to get under my skin to find some weakness to exploit.

"Shut up that's an order. We have to work together but we don't have to speak unless necessary."

"Touchy Ranger very touchy. I guess when we meet Rose I will be the charming one. I'll call myself Mr. White as always and you can be Mr. Black."

"Fine."

We waited in the dark field with only our head lights on from the car. Helicopter should land in less then 5 minutes. Cross grabbed his glock while I stayed in the drivers seat keeping the car running watching our surroundings. I positioned us for a quick getaway. Right on time it lands with 2 men all in black jumping out with their own guns in hand. One stands with Rose while the other comes forward to speak with Cross. They exchanged code words to confirm each others identities and then the other man brings Rose forward. She has a black bag on her head and wasn't walking very well with out assistance. Looks like they sedated her for travel. Cross grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder as he ran back to the SUV. He placed her into the SUV and jumped in the back with her placing a seat belt on her. As soon as I heard the click we took off back to the cabin. I felt Stephanie's presence and I kept trying to shake it off and focus.

"Let's see who we have Mr. Black." He wiggled his eye brows like the jerk he is. "Fuck!" I looked in the rear view mirror and saw brown hair that reminded me of Steph. Focus! get in the zone your working.

"They over sedated her and gagged her. She is dehydrated. Looks like not well fed and had bruising all over her upper body and arms. Hands are cut up, looks like she fought them. She is out of it too I need you to pull over so I can examine her and get my medical supplies out, possibly give her a shot of adrenaline so she will re hydrate herself. She has several needle marks on her arms and back, looks like they didn't want to put up with her." I was focusing on the road looking for somewhere safe to pull over.

" In 5 minutes their is coverage start getting your supplies out of the back we need to do this fast." At least Cross has some medical training, not that I would ever let him work on me, but in this instance he was helpful towards Rose. I found the spot and cut the lights and grabbed a flash light for him to help her. They put her in a baggy black sweat shirt and baggy pants her wrist were chaffed with hand cuff marks that were bruised with dried blood on her hands. Her head was bent down and I reached out to look at her face and move her hair out of the way. FUCK! It's Stephanie! My heart stopped in that moment my eyes wide. I was so relieved Cross was working on her and too busy to notice my shock.

"Is she going to be ok?" Please be ok.

"Yeah I think so. We just need her to stay conscious and eat and drink. She probably is feeling sick and has a head ache from so much sedation she may get sick in the car so be prepared." Steph started whimpering I looked at her body better with the flash light. She had bruising on her arms, chest, stomach, face. I felt so much rage. I needed a physical release at the moment to hit someone. I took a deep breathe and pushed it deep inside me. "Ok lets move the faster we get her to the cabin the better off she will be."

Guess they didn't get the memo about using force. I will make sure they are reported and pay for this. This is so FUBAR they could have done some serious damage. I need to check her fully when we arrive to be sure. I hated that Cross was in the back seat with Babe. I hated that he was touching her, but if we changed positions he would know something is up and cause trouble or ask to many questions just to piss me off. For the next 2 hours I could hear Steph moaning and whimpering. She really didn't sound good. She threw up a few times and kept saying her head hurt.

Cross was reluctant to give her pain meds until he checked her over fully and I can understand. We needed her coherent and able to respond to what hurts and where. I drove as fast as possible within the speed limit. I wanted to stop and get Steph a large fry and coke or some cake to help her with her sickness but Cross knows I don't eat junk. It would show a familiarity with Steph if I did. I needed to talk to her before she gave any details about us to Cross.

We got to the cabin and secured the car. I carried Steph into her room and turned on all the lights. We removed her jacket once again and her pants. She was wearing cotton panties and one of my plain black t shirts that was too big for her. I knew she sometimes took my t shirts to sleep in. Ella keeps count of them and notices when they go missing. I always have her order extra because I know Babe likes to sleep in them and that brings me comfort that she thinks of me at night in her bed.

"She is pretty hot even though her chest looks small."

"Shut up and grab a towel from the bathroom so I can cover her chest I want to check her over now." There is no way he is seeing her breasts. I'm taking her shirt off and covering her. He came back into the room and I took my shirt off her and covered her quickly with the towel. Cross was starting to break ice packs and placing them on her bruises. Babe was in and out of consciousness, luckily too out of it to notice me.

"Ok her front is not to bad, bruises will heal. Nothing causing lasting damage. Her back will be ok too. Let's redress her and set up a watch station to get her to the bathroom and monitor her." If he so much as touches her again I will break every finger he has.

"You go eat I'll watch her and come get you when I need to be relieved." Which won't be until after she wakes up and we talk. He frowned and gave me a sarcastic "yes sir." I closed the door of her room and just held her hand. I whispered to her in Spanish that I was so happy she was ok and how I missed her. I couldn't believe she was here. And then I remembered what this mission was about. Someone she didn't even know about was after her. Her family really wasn't her family. And she will never know. Just another secret I had to keep from her because of orders. And then I thought only something this crazy would happen to Stephanie Plum. Since the day I met her in that diner I knew she was special. Unfortunately danger follows her but I guess its in her blood.

None of this made sense. How did Stephanie end up with the Plums. I did the background check myself on her and her family. Her father was a mediocre solider that wasn't in the army for very long and her mother was a home maker. Their was no adoption paper work for her and they live in an area where its hard to keep a secret let alone fake a pregnancy. When I think about it this kind of explains why Stephanie is nothing like her family. Her sister is blonde and looks and acts like her mother Helen. Steph doesn't resemble either of her parents except her father has blue eyes but not like Steph's. Her eyes are expressive and crisp making her stand out in a crowd. I just held Babe's hand and rubbed my finger over her skin. I need to call Tank. I pulled my satellite phone out of my pocket and dialed his cell number.

"Yo!" he sounds stressed. Probably thinks I will kill him for not finding her yet.

"Call off the search and lay a cover down for Steph. Cover all her expenses until she is back and take care of Rex."

"Ranger? Is she ok?"

"Yes now do it." I hung up. I didn't want him asking questions I couldn't answer. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself. This is so FUBAR.

Tank POV

I can't believe he found her while in the wind. I'm glad she is found but now I need to clean up this mess. Half of Trenton is looking for her. I called up the control room and told them to stop the search. I made sure all the men will get rest and started laying down a cover and a few tracks for Steph. I called up Eddie Garza and told him she was safe and now taking some Rest and Relaxation for a while. He told me he'd inform the Trenton PD and her family if I told the bonds office.

I agreed. I needed to threaten Vinnie anyway into holding Steph's job while she was away. The pervert wasn't happy about it but agreed. Lula would take care of her skips and he'd bring someone in part time to help her until Steph was back. I still get shivers thinking of my time with Lula. I definitely dodged a bullet. I don't know what I was thinking. It still doesn't answer one question though. How did Frank Plum know Steph was ok and who took her exactly. I'll have to keep a closer eye on him from now on. Nothing unusual stood out on his background check but now I have this feeling about him I can't exactly pinpoint. I need to rest. I'll look into her expenses later and have them paid. Its been a long day and it's just starting.


	3. Chapter 3

RPOV

I stayed up all night and waited for babe to wake. "Bathroom" she crooked. I lifted her out of bed and got her on the toilet. "Leave I need to pee." I closed the door but stood by it making sure she wouldn't fall. I grabbed some ibuprofen and a bottle of water and waited for her to flush. I walked back in while she washed her hands. "Where are we and how did you find me? Who took me and Why?"

"Babe! I need you to listen to me and listen closely we don't have much time. Take these pills first for your head. The night you were taken I was called into the wind. My objective was to protect a woman named Rose and give her this envelope. I removed the envelope from my pocket and gave it to her she looked at it closely. Her eyes widened at the name Rose like she recognized the hand writing and the wax seal. Her fingers tracing the design.

"I can't tell you much but your in a safe house in an undisclosed location. Their is a threat against you that I can't talk about and you can't ask questions about. We are not here alone, their is a man named Mr. White also here and he isn't a good guy but he has also been placed here to protect you. You need to not disclose any information about yourself or me to him. We need to act like we don't know each other and you need to call me Mr. Black. "

She snorted "How ironic."

"This is very serious Steph you need to follow these rules because you are in danger and if you don't behave Mr. White will sedate you and tie you up. I will try to make sure it doesn't happen but we need to maintain our covers with each other and him."

I never saw Ranger this serious before it made me nervous. "So this isn't your safe house and Mr. White doesn't work for you?"

"Correct."

"And your in the wind right now so that means I am in the wind too.. omg how did this happen, who did I piss off."

"We can't talk about it it's classified but we need to stay here until I get word its safe to come out of hiding with you."

SPOV

"Who gave you these orders?"

Ranger narrowed his eyes at me. "Babe."

Babe means a lot of things to me this time it meant doesn't ask me that because I can't tell you.

"Just remember your name is Rose that's what you will be called and our names." He checked his watch "we don't have much time, if he asks you any questions don't answer them or flat out lie. Don't give him your real identity. House rules: you can't leave the cabin so don't even try. Its secured inside and out. No weapons either. If you cause issues he will restrain you or sedate you so don't cause trouble. You will get books, magazines, puzzles but their is no tv, internet or phones. Everything back home is taking care of including Rex. Think of this like a vacation."

"A Vacation!? This is more like a prison." I felt angry inside I wanted to scream and yell and make a fuss but Ranger's eyes softened.

"I'm sorry Babe I know this is hard but we need to play along or we're both dead. This isn't a game, please." Damn he had to say please.

"Fine."

"Another thing the house is monitored video in the halls and down stairs. Bedrooms and bathrooms don't have video so if we need to talk, in here is the safest but it also looks suspicious. Your bag of clothes and toiletries are by the shower. I need to get down stairs and check things out. Remember your cover and mine and I'll get us home as soon as I can but you need to trust me."

I looked deep into his eyes. "I do" and I touched his jaw and gave him a small kiss. He slipped him tongue lightly in my mouth and I moaned a little. He pulled back.

"I hear footsteps I need to go. Shower. Breakfast will be downstairs waiting." And then he was gone.

I took my time in the shower letting he heat relax my muscles after a while I checked out my bag. Shorts, tanks, pants, jeans, cotton panties and sports bra's. The clothes were very generic and plain. The make up was almost non existed. A few different shades of concealer and some mascara thank god. Some magazines, romance novels, mystery novels and puzzle books. How long am I going to be here this seems like a lot. I thought about everything Ranger said "how did I end up here? Who did I piss off. No one comes to mind. All my enemies are small time, nothing the government would take an interest in. I had so many questions and I still needed to open the envelope. I sat on the toilet as I broke the rose wax seal. Inside was a piece of paper and a puzzle. God I haven't done one of these in years.

My uncle Ethan who wasn't really my uncle use to make these up for me for fun to pass secret notes to each other. It was our very own secret club. Uncle Ethan was my dad's friend who would always visit every few years and hang out with me. He never said much but loved taking me to different places and Val always got really jealous because he never spent anytime with her or bought her gifts. That was just icing on the cake for me at the time. While my mom was encouraging me to be more burg and be more like my sister Val, Ethan encouraged me to be who I wanted to be. He was my champion before Grandma Mazur became the spit fire she is today. Don't get me wrong she secretly encouraged me but before my grandpa Mazur died she kept her wackiness on the down low because he hated it. He didn't appreciate her like I do.

I started filling in the blank spaces with different letters and then manipulating the pattern and paper to decode my message. In one sentence it said "Listen to them. Don't cause trouble, I will explain E."

Uncle Ethan was extremely private I remember him telling me not to mention him outside the immediate family and to keep our time together private. I didn't mind because it drove Val nuts. I try to think back to the last time I saw him it was just after divorcing Dickie after my 24th birthday. He always brought me foreign chocolate since I was 6 and we spent the weekend at the beach. He was concerned I married Dickie just to make my mother happy and not myself. I admit he was right and my mother wore me down to get married. It was a hard lesson I had to learn for myself and I felt like I disappointed Ethan and that hurt even more. I made my way downstairs to breakfast and I could smell toast and eggs. I hope they have sugar I really need my fix.

"Good morning Rose how do you feel?" I looked the man over. He was slightly taller then Ranger, a narrow nose and dark brown hair. In shape but his smile told me he'd sell his own mother for a dollar.

"Fine. Mr. White I presume?" His smile got bigger "I'm flattered you remembered. Rose is such a lovely name do you have any other names you go by?" He is finishing already for information.

"No." Hmm I think I'm starting to sound like Ranger with my answers that's a first.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself Rose or about how you developed all those marks on your body."

I looked down at my body "Nothing to tell. Shit happens." I saw Ranger's lips quirk slightly up. Mr. white was getting frustrated. Good.

"My kind of woman. Maybe I'll show you a few moves to better defend yourself while your here. " He was checking out my body as he said that.

I looked him dead in the eyes and gave him my best burg glare with one had on my hip "No thank you."

"Well I'm sure Mr. Black explained the rules to you, if you need anything let me know. I look forward to getting to know you much better."

I wanted to give a retort back but instead I bit my tongue and sat down to breakfast. This will be the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life. I needed to not talk too much and keep very little eye contact with Ranger so we didn't out each other. I hope this goes quick. As I looked down at my plate I noticed eggs and toast. I craved a pop tart.

"Is their anything with sugar in it? "

"No just the sugar packets with coffee." Damn I won't last a week if my mouth doesn't get me into trouble my hormones will.

"Can we make a trip to the store?"

"No everything we need is here. We have enough supplies to last us and we don't leave this cabin till we get an order to do so." I wanted to punch Mr. White at this point. I ate my eggs in silence and drowned them in ketchup to make them more enjoyable. It wasn't that Ranger was a bad cook it was good it just wasn't what I was accustomed to or wanted. Mr. White kept trying to encourage me into conversation but I just ignored him to make my own game plan. My best bet was to avoid them both and entertain myself in my room, sleep, paint my toe nails, anything to avoid them. I would hate myself for the rest of my life if I messed this up for Ranger. He is counting on me and I want to make him proud.

It's been a week and I am bored out of my mind and my hormones are going crazy. I've been mostly in my room except for meals. Reading, doing crosswords but mostly in my thinking position on the bed. I thought back to the night Joe said he wanted to see other women. That didn't really upset me. I felt in times when we were in an off stage he would see other women and then eventually get back together with me. I couldn't blame him, in times we were in an off stage I would be intimate with Ranger. Although he may not do relationships he was very good in other ways that made me wish I was more flexible in my willingness to be casual but I am just not that type of girl. I didn't need a marriage or the house with the white picket fence, the 2.5 kids with a dog but I did need someone I could trust and count on. I needed someone who would remain faithful to me and wouldn't let me run when I got angry or scared. It's not that I didn't love Joe I did but when I think of all the stupid fights over peanut butter, cooking, cleaning, my job, his ability to lie to me when it comes to a case that directly involves me, I realized I didn't trust him completely.

He was a good cop and a better man then he once was but I always used protection when we were intimate. I never truly trusted him when it came to not passing something on to me. Also if I think about it he does do an awful lot of undercover work with Terri Giliman and I always felt he would go to her in our off stages which is another reason I always made him wear a rain coat. He was a great lover and friend but he has Aunt Rose's house and his end game is a wife and kids. For some reason any thought of getting married again especially to him makes me get hives and feel suffocated. The idea of kids also freaks me out. I like the idea of maybe having a child one day but I do not want to be a white whale like Val was that just freaks me out.

It also freaks me out to raise a kid in my current apartment when I could barely keep food in the fridge for myself let alone feed another human being. I like my job too. I'm not naive to think I will be able to do it for the rest of my life but I enjoy the hunt and mystery. I enjoy that everyday is different and I make a lot of unusual friends like Lula, Connie, Sally Sweet and Mooner but I love that I make my own hours and don't have to wear pantyhose. I would like to get more training but training costs money. I could ask Ranger but he is a busy man with a lot of his plate already and I hate bleeding his resources like he bleeds money for my protection and his cars. I try to go to every free self defense class the Y holds and sometimes the one the neighborhood library sponsors but I know its not enough. I should carry my .38 special but I just can't do it everyday. I don't enjoy shooting people and I am more worried then not I could accidentally shoot myself no matter how much I practice.

I also like being a bounty hunter because I get to see Ranger more often then not. Sometimes he hires me on to solve some of his issues like finding his daughter who was kidnapped or looking for thieves when his company was in trouble. It felt good that he trusted me and needed me. That he always said he was proud of me and never put me down for my mishaps. When I was with Morelli I saw Ranger a lot less and I hated that because he is one of my best friends. I can't tell you his favorite movie or anything overly personal about him but we have a bond and trust unlike anyone else.

I think back to Morelli and how our conversation was so calm and adult like. How unusual that was for us. He was usually red faced and counting to 10 and I was usually yelling and giving him Italian hand gestures. I thought back to my past relationships I didn't have that many but a few I did have I remember it not being that hard. Yeah we would fight occasionally but it was never so on and off again. Most of the time the relationship would just end due to incompatibility or fizzle out. Did I really want to be Stephanie Morelli? Morelli women were considered saints in the burg because their husbands were charming but treated them poorly. They cooked, cleaned and went to church and hand a handful of kids. Also their was grandma Bella to consider. She hates me and Grandma Mazur with a passion. She would love to give me the eye every chance she got. I cringe thinking how Joe hosts her and his family on Sundays to watch the game. If I was with Joe I'd have to leave the house every Sunday just to avoid her but deal with her for any major holiday. That's a big pain in the ass. I know Joe wants a stay at home wife but I need the independence of my own income to know if things don't work out I have a safety net. It comes down to trust again. I don't trust Joe enough to marry him and believe we would be together in the long haul. That made my heart hurt.

Joe was comfortable. I liked being with him because it was better then being alone most nights. I liked watching the game with him and I liked that we had similar tastes in food and a similar upbringing but at the same time I hated that we never went on real dates or really talked about anything other then the burg, marriage, kids, my job and his job and Ranger. Joe hates Ranger. And I need Ranger not just as my personal batman but in my life as my friend. He has taught me so much and makes me feel valued. Without him in my life I feel like my family, Joe and the burg would suffocate me to death. I think Joe was right we are better off seeing other people for a while most likely permanently. I just hope we can maintain being friends one day because I really enjoy pizza nights and the game with him.

Ranger POV

I've kept my distance from Steph. I've needed to. I don't want it to look suspicious if I'm hovering over her. Cross is being annoying trying to get her to talk to him at any of the meals. She says a few words but is doing a great job keeping him at bay. I'm very proud of her. She isn't complaining about food, sugar or lack of amenities. She just stays in her room or living room in front of the fire place and reads. I catch her more times then not in her thinking position on the bed and it makes me laugh inside. She is definitely an original. I know being here is killing her. She likes to be active and I know she has a million questions.

She thinks I have ESP but she just has a very expressive face and when she is flustered or extremely turned on sometimes blurts out her thoughts which I find endearing. I know her hormones are going crazy, I heard her taking multiple showers to try and get herself under control everyday. I'm glad she finds Cross annoying and unattractive. I just wish we were alone in this cabin so I could help her with her hormones. I keep myself busy with reading, exercise in my room crunches, push ups, watching the outside monitors and keeping an eye on Babe and Cross. I feel like he is up to something but Babe is on her game not giving him an inch. Hopefully she can last till the end of the month here and then we can go home. I want to ask Babe what was in the envelope but its hard to get her alone when Cross watches me as much as I watch him.

Steph POV

I'm on week two at the cabin and I'm going stir crazy. I pace around my room more often then not. I'm running out of materials to keep me busy, mostly I'm trying to figure out how I came to be here. I get into my thinking position. One I was taken and sedated by 3 men that work for the government and transported to this cabin. Two Ranger is in the wind with me with Mr. White. He hates Mr. White and so do I. Mr. White doesn't know my real identity he only knows me as Rose. Three I received a coded note from my Uncle Ethan. I keep that note on me at all times in my sports bra. I don't know why I didn't just destroy it and flush it down the toilet but I feel like if I keep looking at it for some clue I have not yet found. Four this place is a prison. I have tried looking for an escape and the door is a key pad and finger scan! The windows have bars and I can't take either of them down without injuring myself. I know if I try Mr. White will tie me up. I wonder if Ranger knows my Uncle Ethan. I wonder if that's why he has always helped me and kept me safe.

That doesn't make sense though. Connie introduced us and the last time I saw my uncle was way before I met Ranger. I need to ask Ranger what he knows about Ethan. He doesn't lie to me. He may not be able to tell me things but I know he doesn't flat out lie to my face. Cross watches both of us closely it's hard finding a moment with him alone. I make my way down to dinner. Ranger is surprisingly a great cook but what did I expect he is Batman.

"What's for dinner Mr. Black?" I give him a small smile

"Chicken noodle soup, salad with grilled chicken and a rice pilaf." Ehh I could go for a meatball sub or some pizza but at least it's food more then what was in my fridge back home.

"Smells good, you could have been a chef in another life." I give him a cheeky grin he turns back to the stove but I know he is amused. I notice how he studies me when I eat his food curious to see if I will eat it or sigh that it's not something more fattening. I wish he made dessert I could really use a hunk of birthday cake. Mr. White interjects my thoughts.

"Do you have any favorite dishes you make often Rose any items you like to use seasonally?" Really your still trying to figure out who I am. I narrow my eyes at him "No." He tries to encourage conversation but I start to tune him out. It's a new game I play with myself naming different tasty cakes or making a list of all the foods I will eat when I go home or all the places I want to visit the next time I go to point pleasant. It's not really a zone like Ranger but if I can't hear his questions I can't give anything away. I finish eating and clean up after myself. I have been observing Ranger over the last 2 weeks and although I've spent time with him in his apartment this is the longest I've lived with him. I notice he is a neat freak. His bed is always made, clothes always put away and cleaned promptly. He reads travel books and mystery's something I wasn't expecting. When he isn't monitoring the security cameras he is working out a lot. Crunches, push ups, pull ups. I get exhausted just watching him while I pretend to read. One good thing about his cooking though is I notice my clothes aren't as tight and my skin is very clear and has a nice glow. Damn. I guess eating better does have a few good points but I truly do miss my fatty foods the taste alone is worth the tightness sometimes in my jeans.

Mr. White is very different then Ranger. Ranger enjoys the quiet and White can't shut up. I'd usually appreciate the conversation but from the moment I met him he rubbed me the wrong way. He likes puzzles and working out. Sudoku mostly and cross words. I rarely see him read. He works out a lot less then Ranger too. I decide to head back to my room to try and not think too much about Ranger because anytime I do I have to shower to cool down. I don't think they notice how often I do but I settle into my last book I have left to read. A romance novel. Damn.

RPOV

It was late and I was on monitor shift. Keeping my eyes on the roads but also on the hallways. I didn't trust Cross not to bother Steph in her room at night. Last time I checked on her she was passed out in her bed in my black shirt with a book. I took a moment to watch her and let her center me then returned back to my duties. The motion censors for the road 3 miles down were going off. I checked them and saw 3 SUV's moving fast, too fast. I ran to the gun safe and grabbed the weapons bags. Leaving them in the living room then hauling ass upstairs. Cross heard me coming and ran out fully dressed.

"Company, delta plan. Move out. 3 SUV's." Cross grabbed his go bag from his room and ran down stairs to get into position. I ran into my room for my go bag then Babe's room throwing off her covers and picking her up. She woke up while I was running down the stairs screaming about what's wrong.

"Babe trust me." She stopped screaming immediately. I grabbed the second weapons bag in the living room pushing the coffee table out of the way to get to the living room rug I moved a piece of the flooring away to use my finger print to open up a hatch in the floor. I grabbed a head lamp out of my bag and pushed her into the hole with me while I closed the Hatch. We sat a moment in silence.

"Babe we have company coming and not much time. Put this head light on your head and start crawling as fast as you can and don't stop. I'm right behind you. Now move!" I saw fear in her eyes, questions but the one thing I love about Babe is when I ask her to trust me she does with out question. It makes me feel 10 feet tall that she does. She barely knows anything personal about me but she has blind faith in me that sometimes I feel I don't deserve. The tunnel is tight for me but Babe is maneuvering well. I know she is getting tired and after a while I can hear her breathing hard.

"Proud of you Babe were almost at the end." That encouraged her to keep going. "Babe get close to the hatch then I want you to lay down flat so I can crawl over you first and check to make sure its safe. Wait until I get you." I grab my glock from the back of my pants and used my fingerprint to open the hatch to look around. I listen for sounds, look for movement. It's clear. I grab the two bags and Babe. I realize as we start to move towards the back up car she is only in my shirt with no pants or shoes. She isn't complaining but I know she must be uncomfortable and cold.

"Do you need me to carry you?"

"No just go." I run next to her with my gun out checking our surroundings.

"Just keep moving were almost to the car." After 10 minutes of running I see the hidden car by the brush and tree's with a green tarp concealing it. "The back seat lay down on the floor." I'm just finishing clearing the sedan when I hear the cabin explode, flames shooting up into the sky. I jump into the car and haul ass in the opposite direction. Babe's head jumped up when she heard the explosion.

"WHAT IS GOING ON RANGER! Where is White? Why did we leave? Where are we going? What was that explosion?"

"The safe house was compromised, White blew it up, we had no choice, he is providing cover for us to get away. And you'll see when we get to our next location. Clothes are in my bag put them on but stay low until I tell you it's safe."

"So White's ok? I don't like him but I don't want him dead either." That made me quirk my lips. Only Babe. "He's fine."

"Ranger I can't do any more safe houses being in that cabin was horrible, please I can't. I just want to go home, can't I hide out at Rangeman till this is over?"

"No Babe. It's not safe. We could be putting Rangeman and everyone we know in danger."

"Who are we running from? This is my life I have a right to know."

I had to think for a moment and choose my words very carefully not to divulge too much. "I don't know who those men were. I do know that no one should have known our location. I purposefully split us off from White because I don't trust him and I couldn't rule out his involvement. When it comes to your safety I wasn't going to take that chance. We need to disappear." We drove several more miles until I found a safe spot. Babe had passed out not too long after our conversation from the adrenaline leaving her body. I stopped the car and changed the license plates, checked for trackers in our items and on the car but everything looked clean.

My plan before I knew Rose to be Stephanie was if compromised we would get distance from the cabin then move into a larger city to blend in, stay a few nights at a hotel then find a new safe location to setup. White knew that plan so I immediately scratched it. I couldn't use a Rangeman safe house they were monitored and I needed to keep our whereabouts unknown. I could use one of my locations that only Tank and I setup for our safety which left Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Oakland and Paris. My last option was my hideaway from everyone. Greece. Not even Tank new about this location. It was near the water and would probably make Babe the happiest. I only used it after very demanding missions when I needed to get away and after the deal with Babe. The first time we slept together she really got under my skin. I thought if I slept with her I would lose interest which is how I usually operated but I didn't with her. If anything I wanted to see her more even if it was just to check her location of her trackers. I couldn't trust the Id's that were made for her they could be compromised too. I grabbed my SAT phone to call Tank.

"Yo!"

"Go into my safe grab the black sealed envelope, ship it to the following address for Marco Pardo." I read off my GPS address I was heading towards. Cross doesn't know about my Pardo ID Hector created. We had an hour until we would be the hotel. Babe was just starting to stir so I grabbed some trail mix and water from the back of the car.

"Where are we?

"We're on our way to a hotel for the day in Oklahoma, here eat this." She looked at the bag with disgust.

"Twigs and berries great."

"Now that we're alone what did that note say?" I watched her take the note out from under her sports bra and hand it to me. "Whose E?" She studied me for a moment.

"Do you know anyone named Ethan?"

I thought for a moment searching my memory, I knew an Emit once but no Ethan. "No." She studied me again trying to see if I was lying. She must have saw what she needed because she sighed.

SPOV

"E is my uncle Ethan. Were not related by blood but he is a family friend that knows my dad somehow. I thought all week about everything I ever knew about him and its not much."

"Babe start from the beginning it may be useful."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Note:**__ This Chapter is __**Rated M**__. A few scenes of Steph and Ranger finally alone! Sparks will happen. If it offends you just skip over the 2 sections in the middle. Thanks! _

SPOV

"The first time I remember seeing Ethan it was after I had broken my arm when I jumped off the garage roof. I remember he came to the door and my mom wasn't happy to see him. He was the first and only guest I ever saw my mom be rude too. In the burg that never happens. He gave me chocolates from Belgium and called me Rose. Valerie was so jealous and she wanted his attention too. He would just ignore her. It was pretty awesome since back then she got a lot of attention for being a goody two shoes. He would take me places. The mall, the park, the beach, the movies the zoo. We just hung out and he would ask me a lot of questions about myself."

"I remember asking about him a lot and he said he wasn't very interesting and he traveled a lot for work. I asked him why he called me Rose once and he told me because Roses are beautiful but have many facets. They can stay on the ground growing out of a bush or climb. They also have thorns. People who don't respect them get pricked. I guess I had a temper even back then and he noticed." I'm blushing now.

"He also showed me how to make coded messages with him. It was our little game that we played. Sometimes during the years I would get messages from him in the mail and I always knew it was him because of the wax seal with the rose. The messages were basic wishing me happy holidays or just checking in. I had no way to write him back because it never had a return address."

"I remember seeing him a few years later he took me to New York for the weekend. We saw the sites, the empire state building, a show and I'd ask him more questions about himself. If he had a girlfriend, where he lived and he'd be very vague and say he was a traveling business man never in one place for too long. When I got home my mother was so drunk Grandma Mazur was taking care of her upstairs. Ethan saw that and was so angry that he dragged my dad into the garage and stormed out a little while after. I didn't see him again for a really long time I don't think. I still received messages but my mom always tried to intervene with them. I got use to getting the mail first and checking, decoding the messages then destroying them."

"I was around 14 when he showed up after school. I was having a really bad day I remember. My mom was on my case to be normal, not to make trouble and to be more like Valerie. I just went to my room to hide from her. He picked me up and took me to Point Pleasant for the weekend. We played all the games and hung out at the beach and just talked. I told him the problems I was having and he told me that it was ok to be myself, that I was better then aspiring to be average when I was already extraordinary."

"He told me people talked about me because they were jealous, but people talked about me because I had a very vivid imagination and enjoyed acting it out." Ranger was smiling at me now. "You know my niece Mary Alice who thinks she is a horse? Well I thought I could fly when I was 6, be invisible and walk into the boys bathroom and not be seen at age 8 and be peter pan and wonder woman. For years I ran around with Mary Lou telling people I could fly. In high school I wanted to be a rock star and then eventually a rock star's girlfriend but I got stuck working as a lingerie buyer. Ethan appreciated my spirit while my mother tried to get me to grow out of it."

"He told me I needed to find a spot where I could escape the burg when I needed to get away and think, hence the beach at Point Pleasant. To this day it still is my escape but you knew that. He saw me graduate high school but he didn't come to my party. In my bedroom that night I found an envelope full of money enough for me to buy a car and get me to Rutgers. The note said our little secret now go fly. I saw him once or twice in college for short visits usually dinner and he sent me a college graduation gift. The most recent time I saw him I was 24 and he took me for dinner and dancing. I told him how stupid I was for marrying Dickie and he said and I quote "I blame your mother. She would marry you off to anyone just for her own image" then left abruptly for business. I haven't received any messages from him since his visit. I just assumed he was really busy or possibly passed away." Ranger was thinking and digesting my words.

"What did he look like? Did he mention a last name?"

"6'2 decent shape, short dark hair, blue eyes, Caucasian. Always wore khakis, a golf shirt and likes pizza. No last name that I can remember."

"Does that ring any bells?" he just shook his head no.

"Any pictures of him?" I snorted

"If a picture existed my mother burned it, she really didn't like him. Any time I asked her about it she would ignore the question and you've met my father he doesn't say much at all unless it's to pass a dish." I thought I saw a flash of sadness in his eyes but then it was gone.

"We're here Babe lets get out, sleep for a while then regroup."

It wasn't the worst hotel but a chain and it looked clean. Not Ranger's usual style but I think he was looking for low key instead of the Ritz Carlton. I felt really awkward dressed in Ranger's jeans and shirt with my hair being crazy and no make up. Of course Ranger looked like his sexy self in his tight Henley t shirt, jeans and leather jacket. He had on a baseball hat and gave me one too probably to cover ourselves from any cameras. He had some stubble on his face and I found it really hard to not maul him right here in the lobby. I really needed sugar. I looked at the guy at the computer while he got us our key cards. "Is their anything open this time of night?"

"No ma'am most things don't open till 8 am." Damn. "Mr. Pardo I see that you phoned earlier that your suppose to receive a package today or possibly tomorrow morning I'll make sure we phone you when it arrives." He nodded and pulled me close to him.

Ranger grabbed our bags and made our way to the elevator. His shoulders were tight he seemed tired and stressed but vigilant and aware of his surroundings. "What package?"

"Travel necessities to be able to move around more freely." I wanted to ask him a question I had a feeling he wouldn't answer but I had to ask.

"Has this assignment been routine for you? Or has this situation been a complete mess since the start? You don't have to answer, I just want to see if this is a normal day in the life of Marc Pardo."

"Babe every assignment is different, everything has its ups and down. Normal and routine aren't words I would use for our situation but you are handling this better then I expected and I am proud of you. Not many people would be doing this well in your same situation."

"Does this mean my family is also in a safe house? Or am I the only unlucky one?"

"I don't know the status of your family. Before I left for Trenton they were at home, the only Intel I got was Rose needed protection not Rose and her family which is a good sign. But I'm sure where ever they are they are fine. It's not safe to make contact with them because they could be under surveillance or the phones could be tapped waiting for you to make contact. If you did contact them they could do something to your family to draw you out, so you need to trust in Tank and Rangeman back home to monitor the situation."

We walked quickly to our room and in true Ranger Fashion he went in gun drawn to check it out first then dragged me in. I could feel his body heat against my skin, his breath close to my face. His lips looked mouth watering and I licked my lips in anticipation. I could feel a thick bulge poking my stomach and I knew it wasn't his glock when I felt it jump against my body. His eyes were dark and I felt close to panting just by the look he was giving me. In an instant like animals we crashed our lips together. Our tongues fighting for dominance, our hands trying to get the others clothes off. I heard him growl and groan while I used my tongue and teeth working my way down his neck. I found his Adam's apple and sucked on it lightly. Ranger and I always had chemistry and electricity between us but this was different. We were both out of control with need. I was thankful he worked out so much because he lifted me as I wrapped my legs around him practically riding him with both of our clothes still on.

Ranger didn't need my encouragement he was grinding himself into me while squeezing my ass lightly but rough at the same time. He possessively removed my shirt and bra with one hand while still holding me around his waist. I struggled with his shirt getting frustrated. He used his one free arm to pull it off while he moved us to the bed. I was so close and he wasn't even inside me yet. He pushed me against the bed and placed his guns and knife on the night stand. He was commando and all I was left in was a pair of white cotton panties. Ranger ripped them and thrust himself inside me.

"Babe" It was a strangled whisper against my lips. We were both lost in each other. Wave after wave of pleasure that it was getting hard for me to breath.

His mouth was moving from my mouth to my neck and chest as he fiercely pounded into me while I pushed back into him. It was primal. As I was coming again I bit his shoulder and he spilled his seed inside me with a grunt. He rolled over so I was on top while he was still semi hard inside me. We laid like that for a few minutes. It's been too long since I have had a social orgasm I needed more of him.

I lifted my body and started moving my hips while I kissed his chest. I felt him harden again. "Don't worry I'm on the birth control shot." He grabbed my hips and pushed himself up while I pulled myself down. He grabbed my butt and squeezed my checks while he kissed my neck, arms, lips. It wasn't as fierce as our first time, it was sweeter but still moving at a quick pace. He moved his fingers between us and started rubbing me while he whispered Spanish into my ear and lightly bit my ear lobe. I had no idea what he was saying but it set me off again. He followed me again after 3 more thrusts. We collapsed back into the bed in a pile of sweaty limbs and messed up sheets. I laid on his chests as I let sleep take me again feeling safe and warm as Ranger rubbed my back with his finger tips and kissed my forehead lightly.

RPOV

I had only been asleep for 2 hours when I felt Babe's hand move down to fondle me. I grew hard instantly. She gave me a little kiss on my neck. I lightly flipped her over and started kissing her while my fingers went inside her and my thumb rubbed her sensitive areas. She grabbed my erection trying to place it inside of her. I didn't let her. I wanted to drive her out of her mind with need. Knowing Morelli wanted to start seeing other women would help with Babe's usual guilt issues, but I wanted her to want me as much as I wanted her.

I set a gentle pace, I knew she would be sore tomorrow from our earlier coupling and I wanted her to feel good. It has been too long since we shared a night together. The last time I held her in my arms was in Atlantic City chasing Vlatko. Although I would have liked that night to be more we had to much on our plate at the time tracking him down. We both came together whispering each other names and went back to a blissful sleep. I felt Steph stir again around 11 am. I had been awake for the last 2 hours but I stayed in bed to hold my Babe. She opened her sleepy eyes and looked at me with her crazy hair that I loved to play with.

"Yo batman I'm hungry." She is adorable.

"Babe." I reluctantly got out of bed and grabbed my bag. I grabbed granola bars, waters, trail mix and some raisins. She frowned and grabbed a granola bar. I went for the trail mix.

"Since we're free can we get real food now? I really want a cheeseburger, fries and a dozen doughnuts."

"No. We're on the run. We need to keep a low profile. The less people see us the better. We won't be here much longer though as soon as we receive the package from the front desk I'll hit a drive though for you."

Babe gave me a really big smile. While that was mostly true to be honest I didn't want Babe to have access to sugar. I was enjoying our alone time together even under these circumstances. After our small breakfast I traced the sheet where it covered Babe's chest with my finger and her eyes became dark.

I whispered in her ear "lets shower I'm good in the shower." We spent our next hour getting clean and dirty over and over against the wall, floor and counter of the bathroom.

SPOV

Ranger is like an addiction. He is sexy, dangerous and skilled not just in his profession but inside and outside the bedroom. I try to control myself around him but being near him and not touching him is very hard, lack of sugar or not. I'm trying to protect myself because I know his no relationship rule but I hate that my body and heart want him. Usually when I am feeling this way I try to avoid him until I can shove it back down deep inside me. Getting back with Morelli on occasion was my buffer too.

I hate that we just avoid our emotions with each other and I hate that he has the power to break my hurt more then Dickie or Morelli ever did. That was the one thing I did like about Joe, he was never worried to tell me how he felt or was thinking. Ranger was the opposite I rarely knew unless he told me or was smiling, narrowing his eyes or aroused. I'm not big on sharing my feelings I get that from my family. We show love with food not words. How am I suppose to avoid Ranger when I need to spend an unforeseeable amount of time with him. I really need time to think but at least I don't feel any guilt over Morelli for my marathon night with Ranger. I call that progress.

"What's the plan?"

"As soon I have the package in hand, we'll hit a drive though then go to a private airport where we will act as husband and wife and travel out of the country to a place no one knows about except me. Once we arrive we''ll be able to move about more freely outside and around the town however where you go I go. If you run off on your own I will hand cuff you to the bed. And before you ask me where it's a surprise." Her eyes light up with excitement.

"Is... is it the Bat cave?"

RPOV

I gave her a grin "no."

I forgot Babe was obsessed with knowing if I had a secret house I called home. Connie, Lula and Steph ran enough background checks on me looking for information and I've caught Lula numerous times trying to tail me to see where I lived. What the girls didn't know was I was alerted every time they ran a check and it was surprising how much and how often they did. You would think after 3 years they would give up. I didn't want to disappoint Babe and tell her I didn't own a Bat cave. I had apartments and houses but none of them I considered home but a place to crash. I didn't like to keep a lot of stuff so anything I felt was important was in a steamer trunk in a closet in my Miami Rangeman apartment. Old pictures, medals, items that belong to my grandparents or things that were important but not necessary to have on hand. I had a few pictures of Stephanie and Julie on a flash drive in my safe at Rangeman but if I had to pinpoint one place that means a little more to me then the others it would be my Rangeman Trenton apartment.

When I share it with Steph it does feel like a home. Instead of working late in my office, I share dinner with her and watch movies or worthless tv and we share the bed at night and hold each other. She is the first woman I have spent the whole night with in my bed and actually fell asleep with. In my line of work its a good rule of thumb to not fall asleep around strangers that could kill you while you slept. It just shows how much I trust Babe that I repeatedly fall asleep with her. It doesn't hurt that I sleep better and deeper with her too.

I once told her she was my home and not to analyze that too much. It was an asshole thing to say to her but she is my home. My karma is too screwed up to drag her along and I have done to many things in my past to redeem myself even though I am trying to repair some of it. I also don't want Steph to know about my past because I don't want her to be afraid of me or see me as a monster. I'm not a super hero. I bleed and get sick like every one else but I like knowing I'm Babe's hero. She makes me believe sometimes I am worth redeeming.

It doesn't help that I still have a little less then a year left on my contact and I am undecided if I am going to re enlist for another 3 years. I enjoy the money and the adrenaline rush, the challenge but I hate leaving my Babe behind. Trouble constantly finds her and I am afraid one day I will come back and she will be gone. Plus no matter how much I take care of myself eat, exercise, maintain focus it doesn't change the fact that I am getting older. Being 33 hasn't slowed me down too much but younger and faster guys enter the area everyday. If I continue with a new contract I wouldn't get out till 36 but that's if I survived. A few times in the past I didn't think I would make it home. That never bothered me before I met Steph. I made sure in the event of my death my family and Julie would be taken care of and Tank would take care of the business. I didn't feel like I would be truly missed. My family would mourn but I hadn't retain close contact with my family for over 10 years. They didn't understand my choice to join the army or my choice to repeatedly go in the wind. They also still haven't gotten over my choice to divorce Rachel and not give our marriage a chance. It hurt them deeply that I gave up my rights to Julie and they would only receive an occasional picture of her with out any real contact. I became harder and more closed off towards them and they didn't seek me out after a while other then to invite me to major holidays which I didn't attend to either give my men the day off with their families or because I was away on a mission.

I took out my Sat phone and started making arrangements in Spanish for a private plane for Mr. And Mrs. Mendez for Greece. At the airport I had a car purchased and waiting. I had a feeling Babe was going to love it. The weather was usually good and the town had amenities. No strip malls but small shops and nice places to eat. If all else failed a beach to keep her days occupied. Although Greece did have places like McDonald's I had a good feeling once she tired the local cuisine she would prefer it over the fast food. I started looking over the hotel directory to see what was this town. Babe and I needed new looks to travel and match our id pictures. I found a salon not far from the hotel.

"Babe we need to change our looks I'm not sure if anyone has a picture of us circulating and we can't travel as we are. I'm calling a salon in town to come work on us in the room. I'm saying its your birthday and I want to spoil my wife. I'm thinking hair extensions and chemical straightening, possibly a different color for your hair."

"My hair... you want to change my hair. Listen buddy like your gun is an extension of you, MY HAIR is an extension of me. No one touches my hair except Mr. Alexander. I do not want it completely ruined."

"Babe I will make sure it is someone really good. If you don't like what happens to it I will pay any amount of money for it to be styled and fixed at our next location." She was biting her lip nervously and sighed.

"Fine but if it gets ruined I am shaving your head." I smile at her

"You'd have to catch me first Babe." I gave her my full smile.

"This is my hair I'll catch you even if I have to get Tank's help to knock you out. I'm sure if I bought him a new kitten as a thank you he would assist me. Your orders remember, I am suppose to go to him whenever I need help. Plus I found out he likes me as a friend after the whole Constantine incident." She gave me a cheeky grin. And I gave her a bark of laughter. She always did know how to make me laugh.

I called the salon and wanted someone skilled. I really didn't want to take the chance of Babe teaming up with Tank. I felt I could hold my own but why risk it. I explained the changes my wife requested and how I wanted a trim and my hair spiked with gel along with any hair care products we would need to continue the looks in the future. The owner was hesitant at first to let a stylist come to the hotel but when I explained how it was Steph's birthday and I would make it worth the time as well as a hefty tip for the inconvenience not just for her but her stylist she agreed to send over her best girl, her daughter who had the most experience and worked in larger cities.

Steph was still nervous. I watched her play with her hair a lot while watching tv. She was going through the food bag and eating veggie chips now. It made me smile inside that she was at least eating something she normally wouldn't touch.

"Babe tell me how you acquired the bruises on your body. They are mostly faded but I need to know."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Most of then were from an FTA that same night I was kidnapped. A few on my arms and wrists were probably when I tried to escape the first safe house. It's not like the 3 guys beat me up but the approach they used with me left a lot to be desired." I kissed her wrists and palm.

Their was a knock at the door and I pressed my finger to my lips and grabbed my glock. I checked the peep hole and saw a thirty something woman with a bag over her shoulder and hair supplies in her hands. I put my gun back into the small of my back. And asked who it was.

"Melissa. I'm here for Mr. and Mrs. Pardo." I opened the door and gave her a small smile for her to feel more comfortable and let her in.

"Hi, everyone I heard it's your Birthday Mrs. Pardo congratulations on another year!"

"Thanks but please call me Steph."

She looked at me and checked me out a little. I shook her hand.

"Marc."

"Ok well lets get started. Marc if you could just get your hair wet you should take about 20 minutes and then we will work on your beautiful wife who will take a bit longer I'm afraid."

I wet my hair and she double checked the instructions I had given the owner. I appreciated that she didn't do too much small talk and just cut my hair shorter and then styled it with the gel. She instructed me on how to maintain this look and do a few alternatives with the gel to make it softer if need be. I was happy with how it turned out. I walked out of the bathroom and Steph's mouth dropped open and her eyes were widen with shock.

"Holy tasty cakes!"

"Like Babe?" I gave her my full mega watt smile.

"Li..Like yes I really like it. You look like a model for GQ. Damn Melissa I didn't think he could get better looking but you have some skills." I walked up to her slowly and lifted her off from the bed and gave her a small kiss with a little tongue. "Your turn Babe" I gave her a little pat towards the bathroom. She was moving very slowly, I think stunned. Melissa grabbed her hand to help her into the chair.

SPOV

Melissa was chatting along to me but I wasn't listening. "Sorry I missed what you said."

She started to laugh. "Can't blame you! Your husband is very distracting. I can tell how much he loves you. This was really sweet of him to do for your birthday. How did you too meet?"

"Work you know how it goes."

"Ok seeing your hair right now we can do a few things. Your husband mentioned extensions and chemical straightener and maybe a color change so lets go over your options and make you happy. Any reason for such a dramatic change or another year by and you wanted to really mix it up?"

"Just mix it up. I like surprising my husband." O god I was enjoying calling Ranger my husband way too much. What is wrong with me! I need to get my head in the game.

"Ok here are my thoughts we stay with brown mostly but straighten your hair with these chemicals and then add in extensions. I see your hair is at your shoulders I want to extend it to your mid back. However if you ever want to go back to your curls just stop using the chemicals and use a curling iron to make it all cohesive. As far as color goes I wouldn't change your brown hair to blond or red. Instead I suggest we keep the brown but enrich some high lights maybe some low lights and make it stand out some more."

"I trust you, just make me look really good that's all I want."

Four hours later Melissa was just finishing my hair. Ranger would periodically peek in but not stay long. I looked in the mirror and I had to take a double take. This is amazing I look like me but I don't. I look like a much much sexier version of myself."

"I can do your make up too. Do you have anything here? I have a lot in my bag I sell some on the side with clients."

"I love makeup let's see what you got."

Her bag was like Sephora. She had everything I loved and lots of mascara. She gave me a make over and made sure my eye brows were perfect. She also gave me a really great make up lesson on how to make my eyes pop out more.

"Melissa I have to know what are you doing in this town when you are soo talented! I mean look at me. I look amazing! I have never looked this good before!"

"She smiled really big. I trained and worked in New York City for a lot of years and came back for love. My high school sweet heart runs his father's business here and you make compromises for love. I still go to a lot of shows and refine my skills but its nice not being in the hustle and bustle every day."

"I will take 2 of everything you used on me, I just love everything and I need your card just in case for the future if we ever visit again."

She smiled really big. And gave me a hug. "Let me go grab your clothes your husband purchased for you one second." Clothes when did I get clothes? She walked in with a beautiful grey silk blouse and black pencil skirt with a pair of FMP and some black lingerie. Where did this come from? She handed me everything and came back in a moment later to check me out.

"Let's go see what hubby thinks."

I walked out of the bathroom and Ranger was sitting on the bed reading. He was dressed in black button up dress shirt and grey dress slacks. When he looked up. His eyes widened. Crap he hates it. He stood up from the bed and walked slowly over me.

"Babe you look beautiful." He pulled me into his arms and gave me a sweet kiss in front of Melissa. Melissa handed him the bill and he took out an envelope to give to here.

"Whoa Marc you paid me way too much I can't accept this."

"You did a wonderful job you deserve it, I won't take it back." She smiled again " Ok but don't go to crazy tonight! Her hair can't be pulled or put in a hair tie for a few days or the extensions will look awkward and not set correctly."

She thanked us again for our business and told us to come see her again if we came back to town. I really hoped one day we would I really liked her.

As soon as the door clicked closed Ranger grabbed me and we started to kiss indecently. I was starting to move us towards the bed when the phone started ringing bringing Ranger out of our bubble. We both knew it was time for us to get ready to go.


	5. Chapter 5

SPOV

"Time to go Babe." We grabbed our bags and checked to make sure we didn't leave anything behind. The bathroom was kind of a mess from our hair cuts even though we tried to clean it up so Ranger left a nice tip for the maid. We went to check out and grabbed our package then deposit our bags into the car and sat in the front seats.

Ranger ripped into the outer brown envelope and then into the sleek black one. He pulled out a slim feminine wallet, Micheal Kors and checked the id's cards and cash. He also paired it with a passport. He went into his bag on the seat and pulled out a simple black purse for me and deposited the wallet inside with a set of keys, a pocket knife, pepper spray, stun gun and some granola bars.

"What are you Marry Poppins? What are you going to take out of your bag next? And where did these clothes come from? I feel like dancing penguins are going to jump out next and start following me."

"Need to be prepared Babe. Your hair took a long time, I made some calls with the hotel directory. I can be very persuasive." I snorted persuasion was Ranger's middle name. He handed me my purse and I looked everything over while Ranger adjusted his wallet with his new cards and id's. My name was Stephanie Marie Mendez 33 years old, lives in Manhattan. Wow I wish. Hmm black Amex with the same name, a library card, a yogurt shop card and seriously...

"A gym membership you're hysterical." Ranger's mouth quirked up.

"Your not you anymore. You're Stephanie Mendez wife to Carlos Mendez. We own a import export business all over the country and live in Manhattan but travel often. We are both only children and our parents have both passed away mine in a car accident and yours due to illness. You need to live this identity and not worry about your real one. Once we hit that plane we have to live and breath the Mendez's to maintain our cover. If people start to question us we'll have to relocate again and trust me it won't be as nice as where we are going." He went back into the envelope and took more cash out and placed it in his travel bag. Lastly he pulled out a small velvet bag.

"Our rings." He placed the wedding band on my finger along with my engagement ring. It was the same engagement ring from Hawaii. I was surprised he still had it. And the wedding band had a row of black and white diamonds it was stunning and looked very expensive. He placed his platinum wedding band on his finger.

"It's perfect I can't believe you kept this ring this whole time since Hawaii."

"It held mostly good memories for us and it suits you."

Ranger and I were suppose to be catching an FTA in Hawaii once but some how we turned that into a mini vacation enjoying the spa services, food and beach mostly naked. It was a happy memory until Morelli punched Ranger. I started feeling my catholic guilt not because of Morelli this time but because I am not a girl for casual sex at least not with Ranger. He is like a drug and I'm worried if I enjoy this too much one day he will just drop me and move on to the next woman. I don't think my heart could handle that pain. I also don't want to mess up our friendship.

"I smell something burning Babe."

I shook my head "I need a real meal I can't eat your twigs and berries anymore. Can we hit that drive through now."

"We still have some time to kill a mile down the road is a bistro do you want to go there instead of the drive through?"

"YES PLEASE!"

The bistro was quaint with water color paintings on the walls of different nature scenes. Candle light on the tables, very romantic actually. Damn. Ranger secured us with a good view of the restaurant away from windows having his back to the wall. We sat and I looked over a menu. Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken Sold. I started to play with my rings it felt weird to have a wedding ring on again even if it was just pretend. I thought what it would really be like to be married again to someone like Ranger. He has a lot of secrets, a job he can't talk about, leaves for the wind a lot, and runs a security company, but none of those things would bother me as long as he was committed, faithful and loved me. I started choking on my water. WHERE DID THAT JUST COME FROM! I need to go home.

"Wrong pipe." The waiter took our order and I wasn't at least bit surprised he ordered a whole wheat pasta dish with a salad. He is the best looking man I ever saw who doesn't know how to eat. I ordered my favorite dish and I saw Ranger almost roll his eyes at me.

"That stuff will kill ya Babe."

I got really close and whispered into his ear "I'm a bounty hunter on the run, my life expectancy isn't that high to begin with, might as well live it up now."

Ranger POV

She was being playful but my heart constricted with the thought of anything happening to her. She didn't know the lengths I went to make sure that didn't happen. It wasn't just the trackers on her person or car I placed them on big blue and Lula's fire bird. I had patrol cars make it part of their route to drive by her apartment and my men monitored the police band and her location at all times.

I have sent men to protect her and even had a security system installed before she shot it. I've loaned her safe cars and given her shooting lessons, stun guns, pepper sprays, panic buttons and I still feel like its not enough. If I had it my way she would live somewhere safe with a constant bodyguard and equipped with weapons on her at all times while taking self defense lessons. I know not to push her though because she will fight it sometimes placing herself in danger because of it. She does have nine lives though and real rage when she fights that has gotten her out of a lot of situations. Maybe when we arrive in Greece I can show her a few moves turn it into a game for her.

Steph was moaning through her dinner creating a real situation in my pants. I noticed several men check her out and I did not like it.

"I am so full but I am getting dessert to go. Thinking cheesecake." I paid the bill and got us out of there before she decided to order multiple slices. Heading towards the private airport my pants started to become even tighter. Babe was moaning over her cheesecake and I was wishing I was her fork currently. I tried to get into my zone and focus on the road but I was finding it near impossible. We still had 30 minutes until our departure and were only 15 minutes away. I noticed an abandon gas station on the side of the road and pulled behind the building as Babe was licking her fingers clean from the crust.

"What are we.." I didn't let her finish that statement I pushed my seat back and unhooked her seat belt while grabbing her hips. I kissed her with passion I had been holding in since dinner. I usually had better self control but it was slipping since I realized my mission was to keep Steph safe. I unzipped her skirt and opened my zipper. I moved her panties to the side. I checked her wetness. Babe was always wet for me. She sat down on top of me and started moving at a fast pace. She wanted this as much as me.

Ten minutes later we cleaned ourselves up with napkins from her take out dessert, righted our clothes and got back on the road. The car smelled like sex and vanilla and I couldn't be more pleased.

SPOV

I need to get myself straight. Being alone with Ranger has caused me to have serious issues with impulse control. This is going to be like Hawaii all over again except Morelli won't show up to end it. I wish I could just go back to my crappy apartment and be with Rex my wonder hamster I miss him.

Ranger was wiping the car down of finger prints and starting to move us towards the plane. We entered the small jet. It was beautiful with leather seats much better then flying commercial. I've never been on a private jet. The pilot was explaining the mini bar filled with snacks and drinks and how the final checks were being done. I ran over to it looking for chocolate or candy cakes and I find crackers, peanuts, granola bars, fruit, pretzels, veggie chips, sparking and flat water. Not even a freaking Toblerone.

I had just finished my dinner so I wasn't very hungry. I sat down and nursed my water. Ranger took the seat next to me as soon as the pilot got into position to fly. He handed me a pillow and blanket. I felt like I could nap, these plush chairs were like a recliner. I always hated flying so when the plane started moving I grabbed the arm of my chair in a death grip. Ranger put his arm around me and started whispering to me in Spanish. He kissed my forehead while holding my hand that was holding the arm of the chair and rubbing circles on my palm. It was extremely distracting and turning me on. After a few minutes he just stopped, reclined my chair but continued to keep his arm around me. He placed the blanket on my body. It was a very sweet gesture that I appreciated very much.

He made me totally forget my fear. He grabbed a book off the floor and handed me a second. It was oddly domesticate for Ranger. I rarely saw him do things like this, it was kind of a head trip. I usually saw him in bad ass mode throwing around criminals, planning security systems or working out. Lately seeing him cook, clean and read I felt like I was understanding a new side to him I have never seen in 3 years. He was reading an older version of "Sherlock Holmes" and gave me "The Lord of the Rings." I don't know what surprised me more, he read "Lord of the Rings" and likes science fiction/fantasy or that I kind of wanted to read it too now so we had something to talk about. I got a few chapters into the book and it really wasn't too bad just long. I turned to Ranger and he looked over at me with a raised eyebrow.

"I noticed since we left the cabin you have been talking to me more. Thanks."

"You handled yourself well and were in this together. If you need to talk, talk."

"Do you read often?"

"Not as much as I would like but I do when I can."

"But you don't have books in your apartment."

"I own a book or two I read them when I have time and then Ella donates them to the library. I don't like clutter." That I could believe. His apartment was amazing, professionally decorated in soothing natural tones.

"What do you like to read most?" I watched him think about it.

"I read classics on occasion, sometimes science fiction but mostly mysteries." He was being vague as usual about himself but at least he was telling me something and not just Babe. He was being sort of chatty so I tried to push my luck with a shorter version of the 20 question game.

"Now that were married can we play a game? The 5 question game but you can have 3 passes to avoid the question. Nothing classified or secretive will be asked and the questions can only be asked 1 time so the other person can not ask the same question. Also whatever is revealed in the game can not be repeated to anyone else. It stays between us. He studied me for a few minutes. I was waiting for him to say no. Usually when I asked questions he would only tell me a little then cut off any more inquiry.

"Fine consider it my wedding gift to you, you first." OMG this is my dream come true I never thought I would see this day. Now I really need to make them good.

"Let me think.. this is unbelievable." He gave me his full mega watt smile. I know he won't tell me the full story of what's going on right now because that's classified. I won't waste my question wondering where we're going because we will land eventually.

"What's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happen to you?"

"I was 16 and not the most well behaved. I took some girl to prom who I don't even remember but we had been drinking a lot before we got to the location and my friends and I hid bottles into our jackets. We had dinner at the location some seafood dish and drank a lot more then started dancing. It was a fast song and I started feeling sick, I tried to walk away from my date and she grabbed me to turn me back to her and I threw up all over her and her dress. Unfortunately she saw the puke and threw up right back on me multiple times. I had been in trouble a few times in school in Miami so most of the teachers had my Abuela Maria's number on speed dial. They had us sit down and try to clean us up but we had to wait for our parents. Abuela shows up struts over to me and starts blasting me in Spanish, smacking me in the back of my head and pulling my ear while she walks me out in front of everyone in my class. I was so sick and drunk I could barely walk. When I got home she gave me a bottle of water but no Advil and told me I had to learn my lesson and suffer." I tried not to laugh really hard but I couldn't help it. I would have paid good money to have seen that. Ranger's turn.

"Why are you so averse to anal sex? I've heard you tell Lula and Mary Lou a few times." I can't believe were talking about this. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. I should pass. I took a long look at him. He didn't ask to be mean or embarrass me I think he was just interested.

"We'll I guess it strives from my time with Dickie. Before we got married it was a normal sex life he didn't pressure me into anything and he treated me pretty well with nice dinners and dancing. But the moment we said I do he wanted to get more creative. He tried to catch me off guard and with out warning a few times and it got to the point that I couldn't trust him from behind so I wouldn't even do doggy style. It made me feel powerless and out of control. I would never let him tie me up either, I didn't trust him. I realized after we were married that he was also using coke not often but on multiple occasions which didn't help matters either. I was actually relieved when I caught him and Joyce. I was so unhappy and trapped. Don't get me wrong I was furious but relieved. None of my other boyfriends really asked until Joe and again its a matter of trust and I never really felt that level of comfort with him either. Plus I was told good catholic girls don't do things like that." Ranger grabbed my hand and held it rubbing his fingers against my skin and smiled.

"You don't go to church Babe."

"Besides the point. Ok Your question hmmm... What was your happiest memory from childhood?"

"One Christmas I got these race cars and track that I had wanted for a few years. I know my parents must have spent a lot on it and put it on layaway for a long time because money was always tight but I was really happy and played with them until they broke apart from use. We usually received clothes and shoes for Christmas and birthdays."

"Who was your first kiss Babe?"

"Don't judge me I was 12 and it was Carl Constanza." Ranger gave me a bark of laughter. It was music to my ears to see him so relaxed. "Give me a break I mean he was a friend and I forget what he was arguing with me about but I just grabbed his shirt and kissed him just to see what the fuss was about. He tasted like fruit loops and tried to put his tongue in my mouth and I pushed him into Eddie Garza by accident." Ranger gave me a big smile and my embarrassment felt a lot less.

" Who do you most admire alive or dead?"

"My Abuela Maria. She took me in when my parents sent me off to Miami. I was angry and a messed up but she didn't put up with my crap. She straightened me out even when I still got into trouble occasionally but she never gave up on me. She made sure I graduated and took responsibility for my actions. She is the only one who support my choices."

"What is one thing no one knows about you?"

"Hmmm everyone knows so much about me. I... I can sing well. I don't advertise it because then everyone would make me sing at parties or at church so I pretended to be horrible during my singing lessons growing up just to get out of them."

"Name one thing on your bucket list." Ranger took a few minutes to ponder the question taping a finger to his chin.

"Fly a glider"

"You know you made Grandma's bucket list when she saw you naked. She said she could die happy now, you should be proud of that."

"Proud is a strong word I was horrified she was going to have a heart attack. She wouldn't move just frozen in place." We both started laughing remember her face.

"If you were stuck on a deserted island which one book, person and Movie would you take along?"

"Person easy you. You'd get us shelter, fire, food, a plan to survive and your always freakishly warm. Book I guess the "Legends of Zorro" and movie I know your expecting "Ghost buster's" but that I can just replay in my mind word for word so instead I would bring "Caddyshack." I'd want to laugh if I was stuck on an island."

"Where is the Bat cave?"

"Pass"

I guess I may never find out "What is your weirdest quirk?"

" Tank told me when I'm around his cats I growl if they try to get on me."

"Huh I thought you might have said your obsession with the color black." I gave him a wink

"Last question Babe. If you could visit anywhere in the world where would you go?"

"Fuji. I saw this special on the travel channel once and it just looked like an amazing place to go to." My eyes started to get heavy. He kissed my forehead.

"You look tired take a nap Babe we have a long flight." I snuggled into my pillow and blanket "Thanks for playing Carlos it was fun."

RPOV

I liked that Babe called me Carlos not many people did except my immediate family. I knew she was going to ask about the Bat Cave. I didn't want to disappoint her, maybe when I get back I'll just find a property and call it the Bat Cave or buy a boat and name it that to show her one day. She surprised me with her questions. Out of everything she could have asked about I didn't expect the ones she chose. Not many people asked me questions and I don't encourage it either but I enjoyed her game. It made me smile to know Babe would want me on a deserted island with her when she could have picked any one in the world. I know a lot about Babe, I do random background checks on her for information so I tried to pick questions to help me figure out what is going on in her mind. I started to think about our next location, items I would need to stock, plans to put in place for escaping.

I like seeing Babe wear my ring. I will probably never tell her but I had Tiffany's make them special for her. I debated for 2 years with myself whether to ask her to marry me. I told her so in Atlantic city but when people constantly come out of my past to take shots at me it wouldn't be the wisest thing to plant a target on Babe too. If I really wasn't so selfish I would make her keep her distance from me so she isn't a target ever because of me but I need her in my life. I take as many precautions as she will allow and hope its enough. Pretending to be married to Babe will probably mess with my head and keep me distracted so I need to start getting my head back together and remember why I am here with her. I know Babe says she doesn't do casual sex so I have no idea how this situation is going to play out. I think I need to take a step back and let her lead when it comes to being intimate. I need her to make the decision to avoid her feelings of guilt. It was my same plan when she was with Morelli, persuade but let her make the choice and the move when she was feeling doubt. This was going to be a 13 hour flight so we will both have a lot of time to think.

SPOV

I wake up and open my eyes. I've only been asleep for a few hours and Ranger looks like he is resting. I need this time to think. I've been making a pro con list in my head about Ranger. Smart Stephanie thinks I should draw a line in the sand and not sleep with him anymore and keep distance at our next house like at the cabin. Stupid Stephanie wants to live this fantasy out for all its worth regardless of the consequences. Ranger and I have been intimate before in the past and it didn't change our friendship so this time shouldn't be any different. This might be the only time I can experience what it would be like with Ranger. I feel like I can rationalize that this won't be casual sex because technically were married to each other and where I go he goes. It's not like he would be seeing other women while we're here. I feel like if I don't do it even though it's pretend I will always regret it. I don't want to ask what if until the day I die. The question I keep asking myself is if it's worth the heart ache at the end if I become attached? What do I do then? Avoid him? Start dating someone else? I couldn't go back to Morelli, not after everything that has happen. I could always just hide out in my apartment and go into denial land until I was back to normal and have Mary Lou watch me so I didn't do anything crazy unless I run it passed her when it comes to Ranger but that seemed extreme.

Ranger starts to stir and I close my eyes.

RPOV

"Babe we'll be landing in 3 hours. Do you want to know where we are going?"

"Yes"

"Greece more specifically Crete"

I scream Greece! I jump on top of him. "I've always wanted to go to Greece! They having amazing beaches and the travel channel is always featuring their festivals and night life. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" I start jumping up and down and hugging him like it's Christmas. He has a big smile on his face.

"Since it's September a lot of the tourist season is over so it won't be as crowded but we will blend in and look like tourists. There are supermarkets but we will mostly shop at the farmers markets. English is spoken so you shouldn't have any issues but I also speak Greek if we run into problems. If you want to learn the language I have some Rosetta Stone Cd's you can use where we will stay. The culture is very different then what your use to its more laid back. The people will judge you on your behavior not on what you say. People are very friendly and will just come up and start a conversation. Being from Jersey we find that suspicious. It's a work to live culture so don't take laziness personally."

"In Crete its not unusual to have friendly neighbors who bring over different food items so don't be surprised but do not answer the door unless I clear it. There are a lot of festivals this month wine, grape, film, we can go to which ever interests you as long as I deem it safe before hand. Any sites you want to see we can go to but when we are outside the house you need to stick close to me and be aware of your surroundings. I prefer you carried in your purse but at a minimum you need your stun gun and pepper spray on you at all times preferable in your pocket. From April till November it's generally sunny but after that it tends to get cold. We will get suitable clothes tomorrow after we settle in. You will probably see men with large mustaches, the mustaches represent their masculinity. Just remember it's rude to stare."

"Crete is also known for family vendettas so try not to get involved in them or give any opinions about them. We will mostly be on foot but I have secured us a car to get around. You are not allowed to drive because you do not have an international drivers permit and if we're stopped I don't want anyone alerted to our presence. Currency is the Euro but I want you to use the credit card first as much as possible before the cash. As for food I think you will be happy Greece's neighbor is Italy and Turkey you'll find something to eat however the seafood is amazing."

He breathed out harshly.

"Babe in the event something happens to me or you have been taken I will give you a number to contact for Tank. You will tell him Alpha 4 and your location. He will give you instructions to get you help and protect you. Questions?"

"Will you be growing a mustache?" I raised one eye brow at her "No."

"The credit cards how does that work are they stolen?" I smiled.

"No they are ours and are hooked up to an account that automatically pays for our charges. You can buy anything you need but no cameras. When we return home you can't bring anything back from here that lets people know where we were and you can never tell anyone what has happened to you since the night you were taken. It's for your protection and mine. This place is a secret not even Tank knows about.

Her mouth made an O. "You trust me that much?"

"Yes"

SPOV

I am really touched he put so much faith in me. "I won't let you down. I promise not a soul not even Rex."

"You talk to your hamster?"

"Of course he is a good listener and doesn't complain." His lips twitched with a thinking about smiling look.

"And another thing you told me back home everything was taken care of what does that mean exactly? I've probably already been fired by Vinnie and on my way to eviction for not paying my rent."

"Standard operating procedure for when you are taken for more then 24 hours is to cover your expenses including your apartment, relocate Rex to Ella and speak to Vinnie to maintain your employment and lay down a cover if necessary. Tank has already done that. You don't have to worry about anything until you get back."

"I don't know what to say.. thank you.. I will pay you back." Wow I can't believe he did all that for me. And I can't believe their is a standing order for arrangements on my behalf. I'm actually really touched he did that and took care of Rex. Stupid Stephanie is in my thoughts again telling me that he went above and beyond for me and I should reciprocate. Before I take one step off this plane I need to make a decision and stick with it. I lay my head back in my chair and close my eyes debating with myself.

The pilot comes on the loud speaker telling us we will be landing in 15 minutes. I groan.

"When we land customs will board and ask us questions and check our passports. They will ask business or pleasure we are here for pleasure for a few weeks." He squeezed my leg and I looked down at his muscular hand resting on my thigh. I'm going for it. I deserve this with Ranger no matter how long it lasts. I've done the smart thing too many times so stupid Stephanie wins. I'll deal with the consequences as they come. I placed my hand on top of Ranger's and leaned against him. I'm actually looking forward to letting go for once. What will happen will happen no more over analyzing or guilt.

As we land I start feeling fear again. Airplanes always do that to me. Ranger puts his arm around me bringing me close and holding my other hand with his against his chest. It's very distracting and calming. As we stop Ranger is still holding me. I turn to his face and give him a kiss with a bit of tongue and touch his check. He prolongs it until he hears a cough. I smile "Carlos you should be more aware of your surroundings." Ranger narrows his eyes at me. I have always wanted to say that to him.

The pilot lets the customs officers on board and we are sent on our way 6 minutes later. I don't know how I will ever fly coach again.

"Come on hubby let's get this show on the road." I grab his hand and my bag while I make our way downstairs to the car. I feel light and happy for the first time in a really long time.

"Pet names amante?"

I raised one shoulder and smiled "It suits you. Come on we have paradise to enjoy. Move it!"

"Fine but if you start talking like a baby and calling me cuddle umpkins we're going to have issues." I snorted. That's what Val called Albert and it was gross.

"If I get to that point I'll save you time and put myself out of my misery."

We drove for 30 minutes and started to come to a pretty house not to far from the beach. It wasn't very large but it was perfect for 2 people.

"The keys I gave you earlier in your purse are for the door and here is a set for the car in case of an emergency. I haven't been here in a long time so we probably have to air it out and clean. We can grab take out tonight and start to settle in but I want you to keep a go bad prepared just in case. All of a sudden a knock came from the front door and Ranger tensed drawing his gun and pushing me into another room.


	6. Chapter 6

Note: This chapter has some **Rated M** Material.

RPOV

I checked the door. "Clear just some kids running around with a soccer ball."

Babe rolled her eyes. "In my experience the bad guys don't normally knock...This place is amazing. I like the furniture and I am happy to see you have a TV. Give me a tour."

We moved our way from the living room into the one bedroom and then the bathroom. I pointed out hidden guns along the way. I showed her the kitchen, dinning room and den.

"The patio is through this back door but do not go out alone I need eyes on you at all times. The TV in the den is used for the cameras I have outside and the windows are bullet resist. Do not stand in front of them making it easier for someone to get shot through a scope." Her eyes widened so I grabbed her hand.

"It's unlikely but you need to be aware. Gun safe is in the den it spells Babe so use the corresponding numbers. Everything is loaded to go. Do you remember how to unload and reload or do you want to go over it together?"

"I remember."

"Flank vests are in every closet. You need to leave your go bag in a closet to grab if necessary but essentials only. If its too heavy it will slow us down."

"How long have you owned this place?"

"8 years. Like my apartment your the only one who has stayed here." Babe was biting her lip thinking.

"How far are we from the beach?"

"Close. We can go tomorrow but I should warn you a lot of the beaches are nude. Some require clothes but the closest one here is nude." Babe started blushing.

"This may shock you but I've been to one before in Atlantic City. Well Lula and Me while catching an FTA who was a nude bartender. We had to join into the dress code to be admitted."

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Where did you hide your cuffs? "

"Inside a towel."

I smiled. "You never disappoint Babe. Maybe we will find a use for a pair of cuffs while we're here for you." I grinned at her and walked out of the room to the kitchen to get cleaning supplies.

SPOV

My eyes widened. When he said he'd find a use for the cuffs I got nervous but a little turned on. I know Ranger would never hurt me and I did agree to try this new experience with out over thinking. I may just let him cuff me.

He walked back into the room with cleaning supplies and rags. I started wiping down all the surfaces in the main room while Ranger tackled the kitchen and bathroom. It only took an hour for the place to sparkle and be vacuumed clean. I checked out the drawers and cabinets as I cleaned and they were mostly empty. I found some menus in the kitchen with some plates and cutlery and in his closet were a few sets of clothes and some bathing suits. I made the bed with fresh sheets and washed the towels to freshen them up. No pictures or personal items. I found a few dvds but nothing overly interesting. I wonder if Ranger will be nude on the beach. I'm getting a hot flash just imagining it. He said I'm the only one who has been here so at least I know another woman hasn't been in his bed here.

I felt Ranger come up behind me. "Hungry?"

"Starving I want some real food do we have to go far?"

"No we can walk. Grab you purse and weapons and let me throw on some plain clothes so we blend in."

We walked up the street a few blocks and found a sit down restaurant. I was lucky the menu was in English and Greek. Everything looked amazing but I decided on the gyro's and a small Greek salad with an ice tea. Ranger gave me a small smile when I ordered a salad. I guess I grew use to them in the cabin, it was practically part of every meal. While Ranger ordered a large Greek salad and some kind of meat on a skewer with a yogurt dip.

"Eventually I have to try moussaka. Even since I saw "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" I have wanted to find a good Greek restaurant but I noticed the best ones are in Del."

Ranger grabbed my hand and held it while we talked. "We can try a few when we get home." I smiled at that. I liked knowing we would spend some time together when we went back to Trenton.

Our food arrived and it smelled mouth watering. I am not a big salad fan but I liked the olives and peppers mixed with the Feta tomatoes onion and cucumber. It was very fresh. My gyro was awesome I couldn't stop moaning. Pork in a fried pita is amazing.

"This is one of my favorite new things. Do you want a bite?" he shook his head no but offered me some of his dish.

"Tzatziki, yogurt garlic, mint some cucumbers is the dip." It was surprisingly good for yogurt.

"It's really good what else is good to try?"

" You would like pastitsio it's like lasagna or spetzofai, sausage peppers and tomatoes. I usually order the grilled octopus or a skewer of meat with different salads."

We ate slowly just enjoying our time together. The weather was perfect much better then in Jersey. Regardless of the circumstances it was a dream to be here. Just to save enough money to travel here alone would have taken years and even then been very low budget.

"Carlos can we make a stop at the supermarket over there in the corner. I rather just grab a few things now so I can go straight to the beach early tomorrow morning." He squeezed my hand he was still holding.

I ate too much again but I had some Baklava ordered to go. The description said honey and nuts with pastry and the waiter recommended it.

"I like hearing you speak Greek your so fluent. I'd like to learn a little while I'm here just some basics. I've decided to embrace this adventure and try a lot of new experiences." Ranger's eyes darkened at the words new experiences.

I narrowed my eyes at him "nothing that will hurt or be uncomfortable." Ranger gave me a cat caught the canary smile "Let's go Babe I have some ideas to broaden your horizons." O boy!

Tank POV

I've been reading different reports on Frank Plum and his family from the Rangeman surveillance. Nothing standing out. Frank Plum stays at home a lot and when he isn't he is driving his cab or at the lodge playing cards. He is always home for Dinner promptly, watches tv then goes to bed. His credit cards show nothing unusual and his calls are for pick ups. The night Steph was taken he did get a brief 3 second call but it was from a burner phone. Not long enough for a conversation and it could have just been a wrong number. I've listen to the tap on their home line and it's mostly used by Grandma Mazur or Mrs. Plum. Grandma Mazur is into some unusual things with her male friends that will leave me with nightmares. A woman her age getting a full wax and then wanting to mud wrestle nude is crazy.

I was with Lula for a while and she was a former ho that knew her stuff and did a lot of kinky things but I think Grandma Mazur could give her a run for her money. I think I'll start making whoever pisses me off that week listen to these cd's of calls then write me a report. A lot of times the phone has been unplugged at the house too. I thought that was unusual until I talked to Connie about Steph's cover. I told her she was doing an undercover job for Rangeman out of town and would be out of contact for a while. Lula and Connie tried to get information about her kidnapping but I didn't elaborate.

Between her and Lula I knew the word would spread. I was hearing the craziest gossip and rumors about Steph on the home tap. Things that were so outrageous that these people needed a new life. Rumors ranging that Morelli left town after dumping Steph for another woman to her running away with Ranger to get married. None of them painted Steph in a great light. It didn't help her mother would answer the phone half lit whining about her life and saying "why me." I couldn't believe she kept telling people how often she tried to get Steph married and settled down and how it was most likely Steph that drove Morelli away as her last shot at marriage. Most mother's would defend their kid fiercely telling people to mind their own business but Mrs. Plum was just playing into it, disgusting me in the process.

I always liked Steph a lot since the moment we did that redecorating job. I thought Ranger was thinking with the wrong head when he brought her along. I was just waiting for her to scream or be horrified in her boots and leopard belt but when I threw the guy out the window she took it surprisingly well. I grew to respect her when she would bring in FTA after FTA with no training or experience. She wasn't graceful but her capture rate was the highest in NJ. She does have great instincts and is stubborn as a pit bull so I started to understand why Ranger would help her out.

Ranger changed too. He became more human around her. In the past he'd pick up a woman when the need arose, have a good time then move on and get his head back into work. I haven't seen him with a woman since Steph came into the picture more permanently during the DeCooch fiasco with that heart. He told me how she acquired a pig heart and walked it around the mall to exchange for her kidnapped Grandma and mall security stopped her and made a big show. Neither of us had ever laughed so hard before, not at her, but at her luck. Things like this normally happened to her. He joked that if he was ever ransomed off Steph was not allowed to make the drop. She keeps our lives interesting and our men on their toes. I normally don't involve myself in other people's business but my heart goes out to Steph. I might not have a family anymore but my mama defended me regardless to people, it's what your suppose to do. I have a feeling sooner rather then later I will be making a stop to visit the Plums. I have their routines down now and I want to look over the house and see if they are hiding anything.

I still can't see how Frank Plum knew about his daughter. I also want to corner Grandma Mazur at the funeral home tonight away from her family and see what she has to say about all this. I ran background checks on everyone in his immediate family and nothing stood out as unusual. Frank Plum married out of high school to Helen Mazur, former Army and had a child, Valerie during that time then started working at the post office. Then Stephanie came along one month premature. Both children born at Saint Francis as well as both parents. Valerie has an unusual ex husband who is a wanted criminal on the run and Kloughn is clean. Helen Mazur never held any employment and nothing unusual comes up in any background check. Her credit cards are mostly household bills, the mall and the liquor store. I'm familiar with Steph's background because even as a contract employee on an as needed basis, Rangeman does a check every three months and nothing unusual has come out.

SPOV

I woke up and felt really warm and good. Ranger broaden my horizons a little last night with the Baklava. I learned if I wear the dessert he will eat it off me. Something to tuck away. After we left the restaurant we hit the super market. I normally hated to food shop but being in a new environment peaked my curiosity. Ranger picked out a lot of fresh ingredients fruits, vegetables, fish, spices, rice and I went in search for desserts and snacks. No tasty cakes or birthday cakes but I found some pies so I grabbed one along with some crackers for our cheese. Ranger's eyes constantly scanned the crowd and our surroundings.

I also picked up several boxes of protection for us. Better to be safe then sorry. While in that department I also found lube and massage oil so I grabbed a bottle or 2. I often said hello to people who were staring at me while I looked at different items and I was surprised how welcoming they were back. Normally at the stop and shop in Jersey people would bump you with carts and race around the aisles flipping you off in order to race home as soon as possible. While checking the different merchandise I found some tampons just in case as well as sunglasses, a bikini for me and sun tan lotion. Ever since I started the birth control shot I stopped getting regular periods. That freaked me out a lot at first but I was told that was a normal side effect and it's actually worked out me not being so moody and cramping once a month.

Ranger packed some Bulgari soap but I grabbed some other bottles to have some extra on hand. When we left the store we carried our bags together while holding hands. I'd point at different things along the way and he'd teach me the Greek word for it. We walked back into the house and put away the groceries together. After the last item went into the cabinet Ranger caged me into the counter with his arms and said "about those horizons" and then took of my shirt and bra and brought my baklava to my body placing the filling of the dessert around my nipples.

He lifted me onto the counter and started licking and sucking the dessert off of me. Back and forth on both sides. He arched my back to slip off my shorts but left my black lace panties on. He licked and teased my thighs sometimes nipping them. He would remove more of the filling and trace his finger along my thighs and stomach down the center between my breasts. It was driving me insane. I started begging him to fuck me, tried to move his mouth and his hands lower to my promise land but he wouldn't budge. He started taking his clothes off and pulled something out of his pocket, some hand cuffs. I held my breath.

" Do you want to try this? If you say stop I will and release you immediately." I bit my lip thinking about it. His fingers continued to trace my thighs higher and higher. I wanted him.

"I trust you."

He took his handcuffs and slowly placed them on my wrists but loosely while looking deeply in my eyes "You can always say stop. Your the one in control." I like that he made me feel safe.

He raised my arms above my head and arched me towards the cabinet. "Keep them here or I will stop."

I followed his orders. And he kissed me deep then worked his mouth back down my body and removed my panties. He used his tongue to part me and open my legs wider, I couldn't help but shatter. I saw him grab a raincoat out of the box and sheath himself and then gradually work himself inside me. I wanted to drop my hands but he would pull out of me anytime they moved down.

He pushed himself all the way in and lightly gripped my wrists while they were against the cabinet. He held them in place. He gradually worked himself in and out and I whimpered for him to move faster. I tried to move my hips faster but his other free hand was holding me in place. He kissed my lips and neck, savoring me at our pace. I felt another release of pleasure with Ranger following in his own climax. He immediately un cuffed me and pulled out. He lifted me off the counter and carried me to bed. He went into the bathroom to dispose of the protection and brought a warm wash cloth to wipe down my sticky body. He gently rubbed me down then joined me in bed as he held me close while playing with my hair. I felt like Jello but at least I had new material when the need arose in with my shower massager.

RPOV

When Babe told me she wanted to broaden her horizons I couldn't have been more excited. I wasn't going to do anything crazy or out of her comfort zone but I wanted her to have a new experience that was going to encourage her to explore her sexuality more. I knew I was taking a small chance with the handcuffs but I made sure she knew she had all the power. I was pleasantly surprised to wake up to Babe kissing down my body and moving her mouth around thighs then creating a basket weave with her fingers using the massage oil around my member.

"Morning Batman keep your hands on the pillow or I will stop." She moved her mouth around my body and then hallowed her cheeks and used her tongue on me. I couldn't help tensing and letting a groan loose. Babe worked on me bringing me close then backing off. She grabbed a raincoat and then rode me until we shattered together.

We got up to brush our teeth and shower. Steph grabbed her tooth brush and started brushing her teeth in front of the sink. I grabbed my tooth brush with paste and started brushing my teeth while I relieved myself.

SPOV

I don't know how men just walk around naked all the time but I like that Ranger does. I did not grow up in a naked house so I usually throw on a t shirt. My eyes went wide while brushing my teeth. Is he seriously peeing in front of me and brushing his teeth while doing it?

"What are you doing we've been married for one day!"

"Saving time. We've know each other 3 years and done all sorts of things to each other's body, this isn't a big deal."

"I'm not peeing in front of you. Bathroom time is private time." He flushed the toilet and washed his hands. Then turned on the shower and jumped in.

"Babe." I felt like that Babe meant it's not a big deal, get over it.

I showered with him, both of us using Bulgari and getting dressed in our bathing suits. I threw on a cover up and was practically running to the door.

"I have a beach bag for your keys and weapons but leave your wallet behind Babe." I grabbed some fruit, water, suntan lotion, towels, a beach blanket and sunglasses.

Ranger was wearing his bathing suit and t shirt with some sandals. I saw him put a gun and a knife into the bag with some trail mix.

"We can grab breakfast at the bakery on the way. They have cheese and spinach pies with Greek coffee."

"No donuts?" I sighed

"No donuts."

Our breakfast was actually really good. I ordered a cheese pie and Ranger of course got the Spinach. We laid out on the blanket and ate while looking at the clear water.

"Why is their white paint on the base of some of the trees?"

"Keeps ants off of it."

"This is the nicest beach I have ever been too. It's going to be hard for me to go back to what I'm use too." I started rubbing lotion all over my arms and legs. Ranger grabbed the bottle and started helping me. He was very through. It was still pretty early so not many people were on the beach yet just a few men and a couple enjoying the day. I tried not to look too closely because they were nude but I did blush. I was still debating with myself with what I would do.

"Is it safe to leave our stuff here and go swim?"

"Yes. Greece has a low crime rate but I'll also keep my eyes open."

"I notice you observed and studied some people longer then others at the bakery and street while checking your surroundings on the way here. What's that about?"

RPOV

"I was looking for threats by reading people's body language. Seeing how different people carry themselves tells you a lot about their character." Babe looked around at different people.

"Teach me. What do you see when you look at people." It wouldn't hurt to have another set of eyes.

" Any time you look at a person you need to see if someone has good or bad posture. How does someone carry themselves confidently, timidly, paranoid. Are they attractive making them self assured. Do they look you in the eyes or at your feet. Do they square their shoulders or are they overly confident. Do they show good breeding, carry a chip on their shoulder or slouch. Do they have a military posture or eat with their mouth open or closed while talking. Does someone look around a lot or make eye contact with someone else. It takes a lot of time to learn but once you do, you can tell a lot about a person with out even talking to them." I watched her digesting the information looking around trying to read people. She'd blush when looking at the nude couple too long.

"Why haven't you mentioned this before to me?"

"It takes a lot of time and practice. You are a pretty good judge of character already but going through that list in your mind especially in the beginning can be very distracting making you miss a lot. I didn't want you to be distracted with people you are chasing or investigating. I will never teach you anything unless I know we have the time to fully learn and practice in a controlled environment."

"I'm looking forward to that Professor Higgins." Babe watched the water for a few minutes thinking.

"I'm going for a swim Batman." Babe stood up then took her bikini top off and dropped it on my chest as she ran into the water.


	7. Chapter 7

Tank POV

I've been in a lot of bad situations in my life. Wars, combat zones, went through hell doing Ranger training, have been tortured and kidnapped in Colombia by rebels and I rather deal with that all over again then spend an evening with Grandma Mazur. She isn't old and sweet like most woman her age. She is old yeah but feisty, horny, and likes to try and feel you up or pinch your butt and say suggestive comments. She is also very trigger happy and gets into trouble herself. Everyone likes to blame the funeral fire on Steph but Grandma Mazur was there too and probably instigated it in some way.

Unlike Steph where strange things happen to her out of no fault of her own, Grandma Mazur looks for trouble for the excitement. Her background was very similar to Helen Plum. Married right out of high school to the same man until Stephanie turned 28 and then he passed away. No jobs listed, receives social security every month and has some savings from selling her row house along with a little life insurance from her husband's death. Her husband worked at the steel mill his whole life and now she resides with the Plum's for the last 5 years. Credit card history was similar to Mrs. Plum's before her husband's death but after his passing she spent a lot more time shopping at the pleasure treasures and the clip n curl. It's weird too she goes to as many viewing as she does. I hate going to viewings and she goes to a few a week to check and see if there is an open casket. When there isn't she tries to open it. I've watched her do this on more then one occasion and no matter how horrible someone's death is she has to see it.

It's a bit on the gruesome side for a woman her age to have that as a hobby. Steph has told me she goes more often to gossip and use it as a social situation but I watch her fill up on cookies too. I think it also gives her a reason for her to dress up and meet men. Why she just can't go to a senior center or to bingo to find someone I don't know. I hate to put on a suit so I drove over to the funeral home in my Rangeman uniform in my black SUV. I parked a little ways down and got out to wait for her to come out. It took about 30 minutes but she came out with a gaggle of women. She noticed the SUV right away and bounced over to me.

"Hey big fella, what are you doing here? Do you need a hot date tonight? I'm single and just found a new cherry lube I've been dying to try out." She wiggled her eye brows at me and I felt all the blood drain from my face. I've faced harden criminals and yet this woman makes me more uncomfortable then them.

"No ma'am but I do need to talk to you. Let me give you a ride home."

"It's Edna sexy. You are quite a tall glass of water. Do you have a big package?" She started to stare at my crotch like she was trying to imagine it. And I instinctively placed my hands in front of it.

"You know Ranger has an excellent package and a body like Micheal Angelo. I saw it in Atlantic City and I know if I tried to ride that it would probably kill me but I'd die a very very happy woman. I asked my baby granddaughter how he handles it and she won't tell me. She just kept blushing and told me to forget what I saw but it's hard to forget that mental picture." She wiggled her eye brows at me. Ranger never told me she saw him naked. I'm going to have to give him shit about it when he gets home since he gives me a hard time about my three cats.

"Mrs. Mazur! Please I don't need to know that! I just need to speak to you about Stephanie and my name is Tank." Her interest was now peaked.

"Hmm Tank... you must be a big boy." She winked at me. "Hold on a minute let me just go tell the girls so they don't wait for me." She walked over to the women and talked briefly to them. They looked at me a few times and giggled a little then said their goodbyes." She was a small woman so I opened the door to the SUV for her and helped her get inside. We stayed parked for a few minutes.

"So what's cooking good looking? You said you needed to talk about Steph and I heard she is working for Rangeman undercover, is their a problem? Do you need me undercover too? I've always wanted to be a spy. I have my own gun and I can seduce men if you need me too for information." I gripped the steering wheel and really wanted to bang my head into it a few times.

"No Mrs. Mazur." She narrowed her eyes at me. "Edna I mean. No. I was just interested to know if anything unusual happened the day Steph went missing. Did anyone stop by the house or any strange phone calls to Mr. or Mrs. Plum, notes in the mailbox?"

" Why do you ask? I was told she was found and ok? Why do you need to know?" Because I think your son in law is hiding something.

"I don't like loose ends. When I called he seemed to know Steph was ok before we did. I'd like to know how. Ranger pays me to be thorough."

"He does take good care of her. I like him so much more then Morelli and not because he is batman and is rich, sexy, dangerous and drives hot cars. I like him because he seems to always be good to Steph while Morelli always seems to lose his cool around her." She likes to go off on tangents, I need to refocus her.

"Anything suspicious you've seen Edna?"

"Let me think... that day was normal. Frank went on his cab runs in the morning and afternoon then came home to watch tv and eat dinner. I was at the clip and curl that morning and Helen went to Giovanni's to get stuff for lunch and dinner. Only a few people called that day talking about Karen Slobodsky's new boob job and Joyce Barnhardt's new engagement to some old guy in Princeton that she will suck dry leaving him penny less and divorced.

We also got a few calls about the explosion and shots at Pino's. Man I was so upset I missed all the action! I would have shot back and chased the bad guys down. I miss all the good stuff. I also got a call from Julie Morelli, Joe's cousin telling me she had on good authority from Mrs. Morelli and Grandma Bella that Joe was going out of town and him and Steph were kaput for the long haul. They tend to break up a lot so I didn't put much effort into thinking about that. I didn't see Frank get any calls after dinner or that night and neither did Helen. Neither was acting unusual when we went to bed. I sleep like a log so if anything happened in the middle of the night I wouldn't know. Not even a train going through the house would wake me."

"What about that morning I called. Tell me about that day."

"Helen and I got up early and made breakfast for Frank. The phone started to ring pretty early telling us Steph had been missing probably kidnapped and Morelli was out of town but the police and Rangeman were investigating. That was a dozen or so calls. Helen made her coffee Irish that morning and tried to call Steph a few times. When she couldn't reach her she just kept leaving messages and making more Irish coffee. I was fighting to take the bottle away from her. She gets that bad habit from her father. I told Frank what happened and he didn't seem worried. He said he was sure she would be found and we shouldn't worry. He also said she probably just took some time away because he heard the rumors too about Morelli and Steph being donesville."

"Is that his usual behavior when he hears about Steph in danger or in trouble?"

"We usually don't hear things until after something has already happened so yeah he was acting his normal self listening and just eating then took the cab out to do his runs. The rest of the day was just calls about the rumors and gossip and some time later we heard from Connie Rosolli that Steph was found and fine relaxing on a beach somewhere probably in Miami re energizing then took a job for Rangeman somewhere under cover and would be out of contact for a while." I didn't tell Connie that I said rest and relaxation and a undercover job.

"She is okay right?" Ranger said she was.

"Yes. Like I said I just don't like loose ends."

"Is she with that Sexy Ranger right now. That's where I'd want to be too."

"No Ranger is away on business."

"Damn shame not to be able to enjoy a sexy man like that." I put the car in drive.

"Anything else I should know that pertains to that night. Is your son in law or daughter acting unusual?"

"No. They are just doing their usual routine. I like to spice it up. If your ever interested in walking the wild side you can have my number." HELL NO.

"No thank you Edna! Let me take you home now. But I'd appreciate if we kept this conversation to ourselves. I want to keep my investigation on the down low to acquire accurate information. If any one asks you about this ride just say Steph told Rangeman to make sure you always got home safe if she wasn't available. And let me know if you hear anything or see anything strange. Here is my card. If I don't pick up leave me a message day or night."

"Is Rangeman hiring right now? I've been looking for something to fill my time with and I have experience. Occasionally my baby granddaughter lets me help her on big cases and lets me be her partner to go bounty hunting. I asked Vinnie for job before but he told me I'm too old. I asked Morelli once how to become a cop too and he told me their is an age restriction too but I think that's all a horses patoot since I already have my own gun and handcuffs." Ranger would kill me if I gave her a job. He would knock me out and send me in a crate somewhere naked to a third world country and maybe give me a butter knife to defend myself if he was feeling generous. She would also figure out where Ranger lived and try to get up their as much as possible.

"No Edna we have a full staff." While that was mostly true I did have the discretion to hire when needed while Ranger was away. They would be on probation until Ranger signed off on them but still he would be pissed if he had to deal with Steph's grandma everyday. The only person I could hire outright without a probation period was Steph and I think deep down Ranger wanted her to work for his company so he could be around her more, but also to keep her safe and well paid. He is a very independent person like Steph and he doesn't want to step on her toes, so I know he offers her the odd jobs once in a while hoping one day she becomes a full time employee eventually without pushing her into the decision.

"Well let me know in the future. It's definitely my kind of job. Good looking men, I get to carry a gun and arrest people and get a company car." I tried not to laugh, it took all my training. I could just imagine her in action. She doesn't even have a driving license anymore. I wonder if this is what Steph will be like in 40 years.

"I'll let Ranger know."

I dropped Mrs. Mazur off and Helen Plum was waiting at the door with a confused look on her face. We said our goodbye's and she walked to the door. I made sure she got safely inside and I heard Mrs. Plum ask why she was with me. I could have sworn I heard her reply "Hot date" and saw her daughter make the sign of the cross and pray.

I didn't receive a lot of useful information from Mrs. Mazur but at least I had a mole now in the Plum house. Even if she did call and I was able to answer the call I'd still let it go to voice mail so we wouldn't have another uncomfortable conversation. My next step was to wait until Mrs. Plum and Mrs. Mazur went to church on Sunday morning and Frank Plum went on his pick ups in the cab to search the house. I think I'll definitely skip Mrs. Mazur's room and make Cal or Ramon check her drawers and closets. Their are just too many things you can't unsee and I'm betting Mrs. Mazur has a lot of it. Just thinking about it makes me want to go home and clean myself with Bleach and keep my cats close to me for comfort.

SPOV

Being in the clear water topless was a freeing experience. Ranger has seen me naked before so I wasn't that nervous and the rest of the people on the beach were far enough away that they couldn't get a decent look anyway. Even if they had its not like they know who I am and will call my Mother telling her I'm pouncing around in just bikini bottoms on the stage for the whole world to see. It was freeing not being Stephanie Plum for a while. It was nice having some space and not being in a snow globe for the burg to comment on my choices.

Ranger watched me in the water for a while still aware of his surroundings but to a passer by it looked like he was just enjoying the beach and sun bathing. He was starting to grow a little bit of a beard which made his teeth whiter and skin a little darker. I wish I could tan like him. I burn badly and ugly if I don't reapply sun tan lotion often and vigorously. The water felt so cool and warm on my skin and I often looked down in the clear water to see what I was stepping on and looking for aquatic life. I try to do the same at the Jersey shore but the water is so dark you can't see a thing and you often step on shells or feel seaweed around your legs. I won't even talk about my fear of finding any medical waste but I grew up with it.

I've heard Greece has dolphins, whales, sea turtles and sharks which is also why I am keeping my eyes open in the water. The turtles I can handle the sharks I can't. I'd probably scream then pee myself and get eaten while Ranger attempts to save me from a horrible death. I've seen a few fish but none of them have gotten too close to me. I wish I had a camera to document this but I understand Ranger's rules. This is his safe place and we're not suppose to be here, so if anyone knew he could be in danger in the future if he needed to hide out. I didn't see Ranger leave his post on the beach but I felt him behind me before he put his arms around my stomach and lifted me up around in the water.

"Hey you scared all the fish away from me." I playfully swat at him.

" It's best not to mess with the wild life Babe, you never know when you'll come across the wrong species."

"What does that mean? Are the fish poisonous? I know about the sharks but were any of those fish dangerous?"

"No those around you were fine. Their are a few known poisonous fish in the waters here but mostly you need to keep a look out for jelly fish and sea urchins. Sea urchins are usually by the rocks so keep a look out and wear your shoes around any rocks. I just scared away the fish because its better to be safe then sorry."

"I was hoping to get my little mermaid on and find a crab or a sea turtle. I can't believe how clear the water is." He looked at me oddly.

"It's a Disney movie with the singing crab who sings about being under the sea and the evil queen who looks like an octopus." He gives me a small smile.

"I have cousins I've heard of it. I wasn't born at 30. I was just thinking maybe we could scuba drive or snorkel but we'd have to do it privately somewhere. It would be just us and an instructor. It would be hard to defend us if I don't have a lot of weapons close by. I could keep diving knives on me but I can't watch you and our surroundings if other people are with us or watching us from the beach."

"That would be awesome I have never done either!"

"No promises, we will look into both options but safety comes first."

"Yes sir." I gave him a mock salute and put my arms around his neck while I jumped up and wrapped my legs around his waist. I gave him a big kiss because it has been way too long since my lips touched his. It was nice and relaxing in the water with Ranger. We just floated around and splashed each other and looked at the aquatic life.

"It's nice being here. I thought I'd be more home sick but the only thing I am missing is Rex, tasty cakes and Boston cremes. It's nice that no one knows us here. It's a lot more freeing then being in the microscope of Trenton. Sometimes I feel like I can't even sneeze without getting a call 5 minutes later asking if I'm sick from my mother because someone saw me rubbing my nose on a tissue. I see why you like the quiet so much. I didn't get it for a long time because I always preferred noise but I do now."

"It's your life you have the power to change it. You could move further from the burg line and be closer to Hamilton or Ewing line but still live in Trenton. Could cut down on people reporting about you." He made a good point. I've thought of that on and off for years but I was lazy and moving was a pain in the butt.

"Moving is a pain in the ass. I have a ton of stuff but I like the crazy old people in my apartment building. I like that Mrs. Bestler thinks the elevator is a department store and Dillion is willing to do my repairs for a case of beer. I like that they haven't evicted me yet for all my fires and mishaps too the past 3 years. It doesn't seem like it but we all look out for each other and I've lived there since my divorce. Nine years is a long time and the rent is cheap. It's also close to the bonds office and only 10 minutes to my parents or Rangeman. I know its ugly and has crappy furniture but its home for me and Rex. I'll never say never into moving but I'd have to find a place I really liked and could afford to do it that as long as it wasn't a crazy commute to everyone."

I never put a ton of thought into moving but being away from the burg this much might sway me sooner rather then later. Change is scary for me but sometimes change can be good. Something to leave on the back burner.

" I've been thinking about my Uncle Ethan again. I don't think he was a business man." I whispered that last part more to myself then to Ranger. "He never wore suits around me and you somehow got a letter from him but you said you didn't recognize the person I described to you which means he didn't give it to you himself. He used a middle man your contact for when you go into the wind whoever that is. Is there anyway you can contact that person who gave you the note to get more information from him?"

"No. Even if I did know a number for him he could have compromised the safe house and by contacting him looking for information it could compromise Ethan too. I was ordered not to open it and just give it to you when I met you. I don't think my contact knew what was in the letter either. Even if he opened it he wouldn't know how to solve the code only you would be able to. It's unusual to pass notes like this. I have never done that before."

"You knew me as Rose which means he must have set this whole thing up. I don't understand how or why. I've thought of all my enemies and they are all small time and in Trenton. The government wouldn't intervene on my behalf unless it was something big. All you keep telling me is I am in danger but you don't know from who. I've asked you why and you said its classified which I think is pure bullshit but I know you can get into a lot of trouble telling me things you aren't allowed too so I don't blame you."

"You have a code and you stick to it. My only logical guess is this is about me and Ethan. I was taken because he spent time with me growing up and no one else in my family except for an occasional conversation with my dad. I always knew him as a friend of my parents but mostly my Dad. He didn't grow up in Trenton, he didn't have a Jersey accent and he didn't know anyone in the burg. My dad isn't that social. He has burg friends he grew up with and army friends he never really kept in contact with. Then he had work friends from the post office and cab company."

"My dad also hangs out with the guys at the lodge the most. Ethan doesn't fit in any of those categories but the army. Since my guess is he was or is still in the army and I received a note from you then you both work for the government in some capacity. I'd bet a tasty cake on it. But the golden question is why? Why am I so important? He hasn't seen me in years and even when he did it wasn't for long. Does any of this make sense to you?"

" I've told you everything I can and I wasn't told much at all. My objective is to protect you but it makes sense now that White and I were sent to guard you. If the threat level was high enough we would need two people, one for cover and the second to extract. You have good instincts so your guess is better then mine but it makes sense."

'Thanks for letting me ramble." I put my hand on his cheek and gave him a long kiss. I could feel the stress leaving my body and soaking up some of Ranger's strength in the process. After a few minutes Ranger hugged me and started tracing his fingers up and down my arm.

"Babe your getting pink, lets get out so I can reapply the lotion and re hydrate us. We can stay here as long as you like today." I don't know who that was more of a treat for him or me. Just picturing Ranger rubbing lotion on to my naked breasts and my thighs while he wore swim trunks has been a fantasy of mine.

RPOV

Babe thinks she rambles on but the way her mind takes information and processes it from different angles then narrows it down to a plausible theory fascinates me. The army taught me how to process information and think which has been my go to for years but it doesn't always solve my problems. When I had a major security breach and thought I had an inside job at my company I could have bet a large chunk of money it was one of my men. I was 99% sure Tank wasn't involved but we had been working to try and solve it together for a month before I brought Babe into the mix.

I was running out of options, clients were scared and unhappy, some were trying to get out of contracts unless their rates reduced and it was a headache that was tarnishing my reputation I worked hard to build. Steph thinks out of the box so I brought her in and in under a week she solved my problem. I was embarrassed those punk kids got one over on me after all the training I've had but Babe is a natural. You can't teach what she has. Morelli likes to say it's pure luck on her part but its mostly natural born talent with some luck thrown in. He doesn't give her enough credit but loves to take credit when she solves his cases. When I tell her I am proud of her I really am. She constantly surprises me.

I have been thinking about Ethan too since she showed me his note and told me about him. I don't think I have ever met him but I had a feeling he wasn't a business man either. The code was pretty advanced, nothing I've done before but it was old school and unique. What also tipped me off was when she said her mother was openly rude to him. I've been to the Plum house numerous times uninvited with Steph and I was always welcomed to the table for food or a drink no matter what I was wearing how I looked at the time.

Same goes for my men and not all of them look like nice guys. Cal for instance has a flaming skull tattoo on his forehead and has even eaten at the table without being sent away. I also thought it was curious Helen Plum would go on a drinking spree when he was with Babe too. It means she was stressed out. I'm not surprised Ethan said anything to Mr. Plum. If I was spending time with a child and saw one of their parents drunk I'd say something too. I thought back to the file. It said her biological mother died on a mission but didn't outright say who her biological father was. It's a 50/50 chance Ethan could be. He did visit her and spend time with her but it could have just been someone who knew her mother and felt it was their duty to check on the girl.

I've sent money to wives of fallen friends when they have died in combat when I knew their spouses were struggling back home with kids. It's not unusual to look out for one another. I know I can't tell Babe about her biological parents but I am hopeful Ethan will. His note said he would explain. It's his story and right to tell her, I just hope he tells her before she figures it out on her own. She is intelligent and has luck, it wouldn't surprise me if she did figure it out on her own but I know she would be hurt by the revelation. She would be hurt by her family for being lied to this whole time and hurt Ethan did as well. He was such a support to her as a child I know she will feel betrayed. She may even hate me for not telling her but I have no choice in this instance and I think deep down she would be angry with me at first then understand and forgive me with time because of her gentle heart.

I've been thoroughly rubbing Babe with lotion making sure I touched every spot on her body sometimes kissing her along the way. She really is beautiful when she lets herself relax. I didn't tell her but I'm hoping were here for a while.

"I like your strong hands massaging me, makes me feel like Jello." I gave her lips a playful nip then a kiss."Explain to me how we know when it's time to go home. My birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I was kinda hoping to still be here to celebrate it. I know that's horrible to say and I'm sure you want to get home to run your company but I've never been out of the country before and I was hoping to make this birthday memorable this year."

"I call a certain number on the last day of the month every month until a code word is left for me and at the same time it sends word back that I have checked in."

"What happens if you miss a check in?"

"Depends. If I miss one check in it doesn't send off any alarms right away. I have a week to check in again usually but if I miss that again it sends warning bells off and usually Tank is notified." Babe was holding her breath while I told her all this. I kissed her forehead again and grabbed some watermelon for us to snack on.

"Eat up and then we can go back into the water." She gave me a big smile then.


	8. Chapter 8

SPOV

Ranger and I stayed on the beach all morning and some of the afternoon. Once a lot of people started arriving and getting closer to us I noticed Ranger become tense but kept his eyes on the beach constantly scanning for threats. Even though mostly everyone was nude some people did keep on their bathing suits so I can understand how someone could hide a weapon. I decided to save his blood pressure from sky rocketing and allowed us to head home.

"I'm thinking Stephanie Mendez's is adding Netflix tonight to the television for a movie marathon. The movie selection is lacking and I'm behind on a ton of shows that everyone talks about since I rarely get to a movie theater anymore." Ranger nodded still taking in our surroundings.

"Babe do you want to eat in for lunch or out?"

"In. I need to get out of the sun for a while and veg out. I've been thinking about what you said earlier about reading people's body language to reveal some of their character. Do you remember what you thought the first time you met me in that diner before you even spoke to me? I'm curious of how accurate you were."

He smiled. "I remember seeing that beat up car with pussy spray painted on the side, not your worst car but not your best. I knew right away you were having a rough day, you seemed frustrated and stressed. I could tell by your face. It had a grimace and your shoulders were tense but you didn't slouch, you kept your shoulders back trying to exude confidence to hide your nerves.

You scanned the entire diner before you saw me and you didn't look at me long to check me out like most women do, which told me you weren't interested in flirting with me. You were there for information and help. Your clothes were for an office environment hinting that was your last job and from a department store, which told me you were middle class background. Your hair was made up and your makeup was perfect, showing you cared about your appearance. You looked at me in the eyes which told me you were confident and knew you were attractive. You introduced yourself first, which told me your independent and like to take initiative. I'd say I was pretty accurate. Your turn. What did you read off me before you talked to me."

"I remember seeing you and noticed you had a coffee in front of you but you weren't drinking it even though it wasn't steaming anymore but it was full. It was more just to have it then to drink. You wore ghetto clothes but had a huge diamond stud earring that was real telling me you made a decent living despite the clothes. Your face gave nothing away. It was blank but you were in the corner and had your back to the wall. I was told you were ex special forces so I knew you'd be the one I was meeting. Your shoulders and body were relaxed almost bored. It wasn't until I talked to you that I figured out the ghetto persona was fake. You looked ghetto and talked ghetto until you mentioned "My Fair Lady," the professor Higgins comment told me there was a lot more to you, that you were educated. I knew you were sizing me up when I sat down and I knew you'd think I'd fail when I told you I was going after Morelli."

RPOV

"I assumed you would based on your experience not because of your character. I passed on that case myself because I didn't want a bad relationship with the PD. Cops protect their own regardless of the circumstances and I knew I wanted to build a company and would need their support eventually, so Marty Buyers was suppose to get the case since he was a former cop. But then you came along instead. I thought Vinnie was trying to give you a hard FTA so you would fail and leave him alone but I also heard he was a decent cop and I knew he wouldn't physically harm a woman either, despite his family's history. You proved everyone wrong though and became a legend in your own right after that capture. I remember the night I heard you brought Morelli in and cleared him at the same time. I was really impressed and knew right then you were determined and a natural despite your experience. You still repeatedly impress me with your tenacity and ingenuity despite the situation you find yourself in." Babe gave me a big smile.

"Thanks Higgins." I gave her a slight nod.

"First lesson. Look around, pick someone out and read them. Just start telling me things about anyone you see."

"Men in front to the left by the wall are related based on similar features. One on the right is wealthy based on the clothes and watch. He is attractive, confident and self assured but he doesn't make direct eye contact with the other guy while talking. That tells me he is hiding something but trying to play cool. Other guy is middle class by his clothes and he is angry. His face is impassive but his shoulders and forearms are tense and his fingers want to make a fist but don't. What am I missing."

"The middle class guy has a knife in his left boot. You can see a glimpse when he changes his weight while talking. He also favors that side which tells me that's his dominant hand and if he attacked us, that would be the side he would grab down to strike. Always look for a person's dominate hand, that tells you which side a person would hide their weapon if they have one. The wealthy man has no jacket or bulges in his tight fitting clothes so its assumed he has no weapons but with his long pants he could have a knife sheathed around his leg or a gun around his ankle. If we continue to watch check people's weight on their feet. Usually people hide weapons around their ankles for comfort but start favoring their other ankle when they walk because of the added weight."

"If you see anyone wearing a jacket you need to look for a bulge or holster when they bend down or again favor a side that is also on the opposite of their dominate side. A gun can also be hidden in the back of the pants but if their tight fitting it's uncomfortable and noticeable. Lastly they are fighting about a woman. The wealthy man has lip stick on his neck just a smudge but its there."

"Damn. I can't believe I missed that."

"Your a good judge of character. You got most of the tells correct, the rest you will learn with practice. You did good. We'll start practicing everyday until its second nature." We continued to walk home looking for tails or anyone who is paying too much attention to us.

"Go shower Babe, I'm going to start lunch then we'll switch so I can shower." I decided to use some of the fresh fish and added herbs and spices with a little kick to be baked as well as started putting together a Greek salad. Babe seemed to like them the other night. I normally don't make a dessert but I knew she'd frown and complain so I grabbed some Greek yogurt that was very healthy for her, added some granola, fresh fruit and some nuts to make a parfait. I find if I cook healthy but don't directly tell her it is, she will most likely eat it just so she doesn't have to cook anything herself.

Steph came back in a while later drying her hair with a towel and wearing some tight shorts and a tank top. "Your turn." I walked up to her. "Fish needs 5 minutes, when the timer goes off pull it out and then we can eat. I'll be quick." I kissed her on the nose and made my way to shower. By the time I made it back to the kitchen in a pair of basketball shorts Babe was plating our food and getting drinks together. Do you want to eat in the living room in front of the TV? I set up the Netflix so we can watch whatever." I gave her a nod and helped her with the plates.

SPOV

While we were looking at all the titles I told Ranger about what I was thinking in the shower.

"Carlos since we have been talking about you teaching me new things and since we're stuck here until we get word to return home, I made a small list I would like to learn if your willing to teach me." He gave me a nod.

"Well you know two already. Learning a little of the language and reading people better but also non physical ways to interrogate someone for information when I run out of options. I've been thinking about my time as a bounty hunter the last 3 years and I can get most people to talk to me or trust me but the few I can't, I need to learn what to do without force. I know I'm not that intimidating so whatever you can teach me in that department. Maybe a few self defense moves and following a tail on foot. I can tail a car and lose them when I spot them but on foot its harder to blend in especially when Lula is with me." Ranger was thinking about it.

"I'll make you a deal. I'll teach you what you want to know in exchange for you to start carrying a gun with you while we're here in Greece. On your person not your purse unless we're at the beach. " Crap I really didn't want to carry a gun especially on foreign soil. With my luck I'd get arrested and end up in a prison never getting home.

"I smell something burning."

"It's just... it's just I don't want to get arrested for carrying concealed, I wouldn't make it in prison. I don't want to be someone's bitch." Ranger gave a hearty laugh.

He smiled at me and said "Babe." That Babe meant your over reacting.

"One as long as you don't wave it around and keep it concealed, no one will know you have it. Two I would never let you get arrested. If that ever happens now or in the future I'd get you out of prison. Now what are your other concerns." I believed him too. If I was ever in prison Ranger would break in and get me out guns blazing

"I don't want to shot myself and I really don't want to kill anyone." He thought about that a moment.

"To get over your fears you need to face them. You can start to carry a gun you feel comfortable with unloaded for a while to get use to having it on you at all times with a full clip in your purse. Eventually when you're comfortable we will keep it loaded. In terms of killing someone it comes down to whose life is more important yours and mine or the person trying to shot us. No one wants to kill but sometimes its necessary. We can practice non kill shots and kill shots when you get more comfortable, but those are the terms of our deal and it will help you be a better bounty hunter in the end." I chewed on my lips nervously.

"If it's unloaded to start and only moving on to when I feel comfortable to load it, then fine you have a deal." I'd probably never fully get use to wearing it around but I'd try because I wouldn't want Ranger to be shot because of me and my fears.

"Out of all the guns I have had you use in the past is there one you like more then the others?" I thought over my options I normally used a .38 special it was my first gun Ranger and I picked out. It was easy to use but a pain to load and was heavy to carry on my person. The Ruger I used in Atlantic City during the Orin situation was smaller but not as comfortable to hold in my hand. Lastly the baby glock. It was a smaller version of Ranger's glock. It was sleek, light weight and an automatic. If I had to carry something that would be the one.

"The baby glock, it's light weight and fits in my hand the best." He got up and went into the den. He appeared a few minutes later and placed a full clip into my purse and the gun on the coffee table next to his.

"I've unloaded and cleared the chamber. Tomorrow we will go for a ride and find you a holster you are comfortable wearing all the time, mine are too large. You will learn to eat sleep and breathe with that gun until you don't even notice it anymore and it becomes second nature to you." I had to bite my tongue from rolling my eyes. He was doing me a favor and I shouldn't be rude. He consistently tried to help me, not change me.

"Ok lets eat. Do you have a preference for which movie? I'm thinking something funny, I can't handle anything serious right now."

We decided on a "Beverley Hill's Cop" triple feature then ate in silence. Ranger relaxed with his back to the side of the couch while I laid on top of him. I grabbed a throw blanket and made us into a nice warm cocoon. While at times I laughed hysterically, Ranger was impassive even though I could see a small smile at times or a crinkle around his eyes.

Watching a movie like this seemed so normal. I felt like I was really starting to see Carlos at times more then Ranger. I realized this is the most time we've ever spent together and the most I have ever lived with a man other then my ex husband or my father. While Morelli and I fought about everything under the sun and couldn't be in each other's space for long periods of time, Ranger and I never yelled at each other. Come to think of it, Ranger has never yelled at me at all. We never fought. Sure we would disagree, frustrate and anger each other but it was more peaceful then anything I ever experienced with another man. While often times I ran away from Morelli, most of the time I ran towards Ranger when I needed help or was in danger. He was first on my speed dial while Morelli was second.

I hated living with Dickie after we were married because he wanted a slave who cooked, cleaned and looked good on his arm. The cleaning I didn't love or mind when i couldn't take the mess anymore but the cooking was a bitch. With my father, as long as he got the bathroom in the morning and his meals on time and you weren't in his favorite chair or taking up his tv time then he didn't bother with you. His way of showing me love was asking about my car maintenance and oil changes.

With Ranger he knew I didn't cook and didn't try to force me to cook or clean for him. We both equally cleaned and while I don't cook I'd be willing to chop things and stir if needed. I wonder who taught Ranger to cook. I try to ask him a few personal questions but not push him. I know he is a very private person while I am an open book but I apprentice him opening up when he does.

He still has a lot of quiet moments like today where he'll just nod but I appreciate him making the effort for me, so I have started making an effort too by eating what he has prepared and trying not to complain or give him a hard time about doing his job. I know if I tried to run off, get back home or call my family, Ranger would catch me and be upset. He is the best and knows most of the time what I am planning to do before I know myself. I also know Ranger doesn't lie to me. If he told me he'd cuff me for running off I know he would and I rather work with him and be free to move around Greece then trapped to a room like I was in the cabin. I didn't often compromise with Morelli. We both had the mentality of our way or the highway most of the time, but I felt Ranger was making a compromise by bringing me to paradise, so I could compromise by enjoying it and not kicking a gift horse in the mouth while being a pain to him. Somewhere between the end of the second movie we feel asleep together and it was blissful and warm.

I woke up several hours later with something poking into me. I tried to move around to get more comfortable while Ranger's hands tightened on my ass pulling me into him more. I started grinding my hips into him while my eyes were still semi closed. Ranger bent his head to kiss my lips and we started making out on the couch, grinding into each other. My stomach chose that moment to make its self known. Ranger was amused.

"Do we need to feed the beast?" I was really hungry but also very turned on and Ranger was shirtless and could really kiss.

"Eventually." I went back to kissing him and lowered his basketball shorts moving my handle to fondle him. Ranger slipped his hand down my shorts and used his digits to tease me.

By the time we came up for air it was nearly 9 and now my stomach was very angry. Ranger found it wildly amusing.

RPOV

"The beast is going to attack. Lets eat then we can finish the movie."

"I'm craving peanut butter, you don't have to go to the trouble of cooking, I can just make a sandwich."

"I can make a quick stir fry with Thai peanut chicken. It's like a peanut butter sauce. If you cut the vegetables and peppers I can do the rest. We can eat in the next 30 minutes." Babe was thinking about it.

"I really like peanut butter, is this dish something I'll enjoy?"

"Yes." She sighed

"Fine."

Babe and I worked together in the kitchen side by side. While she cut up onions, peppers, I got the rice cooking and started browning the meat while I made the peanut sauce. Although not the healthiest thing in the world, it doesn't need a ton of peanut butter and I found a natural kind at the store that was healthier then the processed kind she usually bought. I can off set it with some spices and extra rice and just work out a little more tomorrow morning to make up for the extra calories. Babe and I finished cooking and poured us ice teas and went back to the movie. She must have approved because she moaned a few times.

"I've always wanted to put a banana in someone's tail pipe. I've considered it a few times to do to Joyce when she was being annoying but I never remembered to get one at the store." I could picture Babe sneaking around and trying to stick it in the hole and then running off to watch Joyce come out. I've known in the past she had Bob poop on her front lawn because Rangeman patrol guys would inform me they saw her sometimes really early in the morning. I've also known her to set up an exploding beaver on Joyce's front door that she got from an old FTA who was a taxidermist.

"Next time you get the feeling you can get one from Ella she stocks Rangeman with them." Babe eyes sparkled with amusement. "I like it when your a little bad." I gave her a wink and we went back to the movie.

The truth was I liked it a lot when Babe was bad. When I found out she caught Morelli I asked around about her to find out what people knew. I heard she ran Morelli down with a car for pissing her off when she was 18 and broke his leg but deserved it. I found it amusing and it usually brightened my shitty days. I remember hearing about a funeral home off stark getting robbed and then a stink bomb went off and the same night Mortimer "Chopper" Gonzalez apartment got robbed during the Mickey Gritch fiasco, where Vinnie owed him around 800 K. Even though Vinnie is scum and a pervert, Steph has a good heart and tried to help him.

Most people would have just killed the alligator and took the money but the cops found fried chicken stains everywhere and the money missing with Mr. Jingles on the lose around Trenton. That had Babe written all over it. I could picture her running all around throwing chicken and grabbing the cash. I'm sure she had an accomplice too. She would never kill an animal no matter how dangerous and her pulling off the funeral heist using a stink bomb as a distraction was something I could picture her doing. She wouldn't want anyone to get hurt to help Vinnie. My suspicions were confirmed when I smelled her Rangeman car she borrowed.

Fried chicken and stick bomb. Luis didn't know what to do with himself to get it cleaned. We cleaned up the kitchen and our dishes then cuddled on the couch for the night. I couldn't help thinking about what I would be doing back home if I was there right now. I knew I would be working in my office on a system or a client proposal. That's what I did most nights or worked out. Just shows Steph rubbing off on me in a good way. When the third movie ended Babe was out like a light slightly snoring. I carried her to bed and got ready for it myself. Tomorrow was going to be a long day with us getting clothes to fit in and finding a holster for her. I know she hates her gun but I just want her to be safe in the end. I closed my eyes and drifted asleep thinking about our beach day today. Babe playing around in the water, laying on the sand. It made me feel at peace while holding her close.

Tank POV

I got up at 5 am and started my work out routine. Things were running smoothly while Ranger was gone. All accounts in stable condition, no break ins, no injuries and several new clients for consideration. I was planning the attack for how I was going to enter the Plum household. I've decided to take 2 men in with me and borrow a work truck to blend in on the block. I'll have us dress casually with jeans. Surveillance showed Mrs. Plum and Mrs. Mazur leave early for church at 7:30 to be at the 8 o clock service, which will be an hour and a half long. The next door neighbor Mabel Markowitz who also shares a wall to the Plum home also attends church, so we wouldn't have to be concerned about making noise. Frank Plum leaves his home at 7:45 Sundays for his usual pick ups and won't return till lunch.

My plan is to enter from the back door and pick the locks then split the men up. Cal recently got a speeding ticket so he drew the short straw for Grandma Mazur's room and the down stairs as well as the garage. While I'll take the Plum's bedroom, the guest room and the sewing room. Ramon was our look out who would be stationed down the street keeping eyes out for anyone to come home early.

I opened today's paper and front page news was Lula. That didn't surprise me. They were calling her the "Butterfingers Bounty Hunter" because her repeated clumsy attempts at capturing fugitives for the Vincent Plum Bail Bonds Agency. The article states she tried to chase a fugitive wanted for exposing himself in her red fire bird instead of on foot after he called her fat. She ran down a bunch of mail boxes and hit someone's RV which totaled the car and set itself on fire, taking the RV with it. No reported injuries but it is the third incident this week that has involved the police.

The first instance was when the "Butterfingers Bounty Hunter" visited repeat offender Norville Thompson on an assault charge and created a domestic disturbance when gun was discharged. Norville was witnessed with a bullet in his foot while escaping down a fire escape and Lula was hanging off the fire escape stuck by her belt with pee on her skirt and her breasts exposed from her tight and short outfit. That didn't surprise me, Thompson was a handful who would pee on anyone who bothered him while throwing all his food at you. Police had to cut her lose after her repeated attempts to free herself and run away from them. The second instance was property destruction at the local Home Depot after chasing fugitive Marty Diamond who worked in the paint department.

Witnesses state Lula knocked over several paint machines and paint cans causing different spills while chasing Diamond around the store causing a disturbance and destruction of property. FTA remains on the loose. Vincent Plum owner of the local bonds office was called for comment in which he stated Lula was only filling in on the low bonds to help out with FTA's while they were short handed and are in the process of hiring a new fugitive apprehension agent. Mr. Plum plans to partner with Lula from now on to decrease incidents. When asked where the "Bombshell Bounty Hunter" was and why she wasn't handing these cases, Mr. Plum stated she was recently promoted to high bond FTA's and was out of town hunting them down due to her high capture rate in NJ but would return soon.

I tried to feel bad for Vinnie but I didn't. He was a pain in the ass and Lula had a temper. I tried to feel sorry for her too but she tricked me into thinking we were engaged and then started making these crazy wedding plans getting me into a pink tux. I've tried to be civil towards her after our break up but she was really rude about trying to get rid of my cats and was openly hostile anytime our paths crossed. I mostly put up with her lately because of Steph. I ripped the article out and made sure to leave this copy on Ranger's desk, he may get a kick out of it too.

I finished my coffee and went to Rangeman to suit up with Ramon and Cal. I went over the assignments and we tested our communications. I made sure we all wore gloves and told them the objective was to find anything that related to Steph's disappearance that night or anything Frank Plum was hiding. I wanted the whole place searched top to bottom without anyone knowing we have been there. Air vents, soles of shoes, behind pictures, no stone un turned. The men didn't ask questions, they always did what they were told. We checked our watches and got into the car to wait for the cars to leave the Plum residence.


	9. Chapter 9

Tank POV

Right at 7:30 Ramon reported seeing Mrs. Plum get into Big Blue with Grandma Mazur. We waited 15 more minutes then Ramon reported watching Frank Plum get into the cab with a large travel cup of coffee. Cal and I were in the back of the house on the other side pretending to check the fence for upgrading and repairs. As soon as we got the all clear we climbed the fence. We walked briskly to the back door and picked the lock. It was as easy as Steph's apartment and a kindergartner could break into her place.

I re-locked the door after letting myself and Cal in. Cal went straight to the kitchen while I sprinted upstairs.

"Report what you see through the comms, if you find anything interesting." I started in the sewing room. I checked the draws of the desk, took pictures of the wall and checked the backings with my pocket knife and then resealed them back together. Cal's voice came over the comm's.

"Someone has a drinking problem. There is booze hidden behind baking ingredients and several empty bottles hidden in the recycling bin."

Helen Plum, Mother said she had a habit the other day. Maybe I should leave a pamphlet for AA in her mailbox. I continued checking under the desk, behind it and seeing if the carpet could be pulled up anywhere. I took my screw driver out and removed the vent panel to see if anything was hidden.

"Sewing room clear."

I moved onto the guest bedroom. I can tell this use to be Steph's room and that she still uses on occasion by a few pictures on the mirror. She looked young, high school and was playing with a baton, twirling it. Others showed her in a leather jacket or at the beach. Her scarf and jacket were in the closet with a few old t-shirts. The closet didn't have any false backs and the dresser was clean. Nothing hidden in the bed or under it. The soles of her shoes were clean.

I heard Cal's voice again. "Kitchen clear, moving to the dining room." I removed the vent off the guest bedroom and found some condoms from 15 years ago, a pamphlet on birth control and an old box off birth control without the pills inside. Must be from when Steph was growing up. I replaced the vent.

"Guest bedroom clear." I moved onto the Mr. Plum's bedroom.

"Dinning room clear, although more hidden booze in the china cabinet. Moving to the living room." I searched the side drawers of the bed.

Most people hid things in them or in there shoes. I checked the drawer and underneath it. I went through the dresser and started the shoes. I checked under the bed and in between the mattress and box spring.

"Living room has a few photo albums with a few pictures of Steph not looking happy and a lot of people I don't recognize you may want to look. They are on the book case. Moving to the garage."

I started taking the pictures of the wall and checking the backings. Nothing. Last to attack was the closet. I checked the clothing, looked in every shoe box and found loads of different papers in different banker's boxes that weren't labeled.

"After you finish Grandma Mazur's room I need you in the bedroom to go through boxes of papers with me."

"Roger."

"Garage has some illegal Cuban cigars and scotch. Found a firebox picking it. Box contains some stuff from his army days, dog tags, pictures, service Id number." That peaked my interest. I didn't find much on his service record. "Document everything in that box."

"Garage clear, moving upstairs to Mrs. Mazur's room."

The papers in the first box were mostly tax records from over the years, they were pack rats, saving all this was unnecessary. I moved onto the second box scanning each page. Ramon spoke over the comms "Half way point, street clear."

Then I heard Cal's voice "O God! This is disgusting! It's like she has her own pleasure treasures in here, toys all shapes and sizes , videos, leather outfits, thongs, a riding crop and a sex swing in the closet that can be hung up in a doorway." I laughed internally while Ramon lost it in the car.

"Suck it up solider, next time you shouldn't be caught speeding by Gaspick."

"Granny's room clear and so is the bathroom. Coming to you now."

"Here take these two boxes. I'm almost done with this one and then I want to look at that fire safe box that's under those sweaters."

My box was just more useless pieces of paper, old bills, old checks, nothing of importance. I moved onto the firebox. I picked the lock and there was a few pictures of a younger looking Edna Mazur and her husband. I almost didn't recognize her, she was pretty in her hey day. Some more old pictures of old family member's it looked like. I documented everything anyway. People lock things up for a reason."

In the bottom on the container was a small key. Almost like a safety deposit box key. I took a key molder out of my pocket and pressed it lightly into the clay, then placed everything back inside.

"I haven't seen any deeds, birth certificates, marriage licenses, did you find any?"

"No. This box is mostly old bills and some medical documents. Looks like Mrs. Plum goes to the gynecologist a lot, lots of post dated checks over the years. Did you check out her medical history in her background? I'm not a chick but it seems like a lot." Cal moved onto the last box and it was old pictures, drawings, kids art work, school projects, nothing of interest.

"No I didn't think it would be important. Let's look at the photo albums and move out. We got 15 minutes."

I walked the albums over to the table and started to flip through them. First album was Helen and Frank Plum growing up, there wedding, her pregnant with Valerie, the Plums again with Valerie growing up, then in the middle you see Helen Plum Pregnant again with Valerie doing different activities in the picture.

More pictures around the house, neighborhood, family, neighbors, family vacations to the beach.

Frank Plum working at the post office. At the end there were pictures of Stephanie at the hospital in the hospital nursery looking really small but had big blue eyes. I remember reading her background check, she was born a month premature and had to stay at the hospital for a little while when she was born but she had a ton of hair even back then. I took out my phone and took a picture to show Ranger when he got back.

More pictures of them holding Steph as a baby, holidays over the years. Steph looked miserable in dance classes and singing lessons and her cooking lessons she looked like she was about to cry. Seems like she was only smiling around other kids or outside playing with her barbies. I flipped through some more and while Valerie took after her mom looking and dressing prim and proper, Steph was in worn jeans and t-shirts with crazy hair and leather jackets.

I laughed to myself, not much has changed except the hair. All the family portraits were stiff, no one looked happy except Helen and Valerie. Steph always smiled but it never reached her eyes and Frank Plum seem to always be his stoic self in all of these pictures. I saw Valerie and Steph's wedding pictures and you could see the fear in her eyes and the fake smile in that hideous pouf of a dress. I actually felt bad for her, it's suppose to be a happy day, the bride is suppose to glow with joy. The only wedding picture I have seen worse then this one was Ranger and Rachel's. He wore his military uniform and had a blank face on not smiling and she looked sick, miserable and pregnant in a white summer dress in front of a justice of the Peace. They didn't even exchange rings or barely touched each other for the photo. Valerie looked happy in every picture. It seemed Steph didn't really start smiling for pictures until after her college graduation for family holidays.

I recognized most of the people in most of the pictures but there was nothing here.

"Move out, rendezvous behind the house for pickup now." I replaced the albums and looked at the house one more time making sure everything was in place, then I locked the back door.

"Found what you were looking for boss?"

"I don't know yet. I need to look through the pictures Cal and I took and I found a key to a safety deposit box but he doesn't have one listed in his name on his background check where he banks. I want the tap to stay in place on the phones and a shadow for Frank Plum while he is out of the house but the rest of the women don't need to be watched."

I felt frustrated. I was hoping to find a hidden phone or a hidden message, something that solved my mystery and I felt like I hit a bit of a dead end. I still had leads to follow but I am not a happy person right now so people better stay out of my way today.

RPOV

I heard the alarm go off and saw Steph trying to swat at it like a kitten pawing at a butterfly. I stayed completely still just watching her. After four attempts she picked it up and tossed it across the room. I couldn't hold in my chuckle.

"Issues Babe?" She started mumbling about it being too early.

"I don't get up in the middle of the night dude." It was 5 am, not the middle of the night.

"Sleep. I'll be back." I kissed her forehead and picked up the clock and replaced it on the side table. I needed to get back into my workout. Although I couldn't leave the house to run, I changed up my routine by pushing the furniture in the living room out of the way. I practice punches, kicks, and swings. Did crunches, push ups different ways and stretched.

By the time I started to feel the burn it had been 3 hours. I checked on Babe who had decided to spread her entire body across the whole bed and hide her face under a pillow. I jumped into the shower then came out in my towel and started to dry off. I removed the pillow off her head and she didn't stir. The slightest sound would wake me but Steph wouldn't wake for almost anything until she was ready. I moved the covers back and looked at her. I moved my hands up and down her legs, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I don't want to get up. Go away until the sun is fully awake and warm." She tried to roll over away from me and get back deeper under the covers. I lifted her up and threw her over my shoulder while I grabbed her gun and walked her to the shower and turned on the warm water to start stripping her.

"We have plans. You have ten minutes in the shower until I come get you. Get dressed then eat breakfast. If we aren't ready to go in the next 30 minutes you will go however you look. Your gun is unloaded on the sink, keep it with you at all times. Today we will go shop for clothes and you can get shoes too." That got her into gear. She woke up finally and started soaping herself like crazy. I had to leave before I joined her and we didn't leave at all today.

SPOV

I can't believe he didn't wake me sooner. I barely have enough time to put on makeup let alone do my hair, so I decided to not wash it so I could just style it right away. I was in and out of the shower in 5 minutes flat and then I started to lotion my body and apply my makeup. I kept it mostly natural looking thanks to Melissa's tutor-ledge. I looked in my closet and I needed to do laundry when I get back, the hamper is filling with a mixture of our clothes. It's still weird for me to see Ranger in colors when I usually only see him in Black, except for when he was hiding out on the run when he was FTA.

I like him more in colors but at times I miss the bad ass black. I threw on a semi flowing long skirt and a shirt that was a pheasant top Ranger picked up for me in Oklahoma. I grabbed my sandals and my one black purse. If we went shopping I needed more bags to go with my clothing. I was just about to walk into the kitchen and then I heard Ranger's voice before I even saw him.

"Go back and get it." I stopped. Go back and get what? Damn the gun. I left it on the bed. I hurried back to the bedroom and grabbed it. I was about to throw it in my purse and forget it when I remembered it wasn't loaded anyway, so I couldn't shoot my ass off if I wore it. I placed it in the sole of my back and made sure my shirt covered the bulge. I also sat on the bed and made sure no one could see it if I sat down. Looked good. I walked back out and took my chair. It wasn't comfortable having the gun dig into my back so I made sure my back didn't touch the chair. I wanted to ask him how he knew without even seeing me first but Ranger just knows everything.

"Aren't you going to ask me where it's hidden?" He looked at me for a second while plating our scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast and fresh cut fruit.

"Sole of your back. Your tell was when you sat down and looked uncomfortable then moved forward in your chair. Another good tell when your reading people to remember."

"You don't do that though."

"I'm different. Showing tells can get you killed. I've learned not to."

I grabbed the ketchup and started on the eggs. He threw some spice in them with olives and peppers and onions. I never had eggs like this before, it was decent and somewhat yellow which means he used mostly egg whites and threw in a whole egg to add color for me, something I appreciated. Fat is much tastier.

"What's the plan? Why did we have to get up at the crack of dawn? We don't have jobs or commitments."

"Patience. Eat. You have... 4 minutes." I ate quickly and drank some coffee. I also had a glass of orange juice in front of me so I drank that too. WHOA.

"Fresh squeezed. I have never had it. This is amazing." Ranger just smirked. I wish I saw him squeeze it myself. Watching his forearms draining the juice from the oranges gets me hot. I'd like to lick his fingers clean among other things.

We finished eating then rinsed our plates and left them in the sink for later. Ranger grabbed the car keys and checked the car over for any tampering. I'd say he was paranoid but with me along there was a greater chance someone put a bomb on the car waiting for me to come out, so I didn't blame him for not wanting to get fried to a crisp.

Ranger turned on some soft Greek music on the radio and it was rather beautiful. Normally I'd badger him about our destination but I was enjoying the sight seeing from the car. Watching people. Seeing the different buildings and the nature of Greece. Occasionally I'd observe Ranger. He was looking dangerously sexy as always in boots and jeans with a tight t-shirt on his arms. His skin was starting to darken more. He seemed relaxed driving but I notice him constantly checking for tails. I wanted to ask him so many things. Questions I've complied over the years, questions about himself, his family but he didn't seem in a chatty mood today.

"Do you want to play the question game, same rules as last time." He thought about it for a moment.

"I'll make you a deal. If you carry your gun on your person without me reminding you for 2 weeks, you can ask me 3 questions. If I have to remind you even once you get none." Crap. That was a 50/50 shot.

"Why does everything have to be a deal with you?"

"I'm a mercenary." I thought it over, I wasn't really losing anything if I failed.

"Deal."

We drove for almost 2 hours listening to soft music when we finally turned off the road. It was a small building with lots of fencing around to keep people out. Ranger parked us up front and started to get out. I met him around the car and we walked into the building holding hands. I was starting to get nervous. We went into 2 doors until we finally hit a sales floor with different guns on display, outfits, holsters, ammo and head gear. This looked nothing like Sunny's back home in Trenton where I got my .38 special. Ranger spoke to the man in Greek and walked me over to an area for women. I had never seen so many different holsters before. Sunny's had a few but the majority was special order and she was expensive to purchase from.

"There are many different kinds, we can get a few which ever you feel is more comfortable." Ranger started picking up different ones explaining where they would go. "This one hooks onto your bra in front or on the side." I looked at him like he had 3 heads.

"I am not putting it near my boobs, how would you feel putting a gun near your balls." Both of Ranger's eyebrows shot up and he put the holster back.

"This one wraps around your stomach and the pouch is where you put your gun."

"No, I'm not wearing a girdle with a kangaroo pouch." Ranger was struggling to keep a straight face.

"That throws out the next option of the waist one."

"This is an ankle holster. Let's see how this fits. Velcro to adjust to your leg. How does it feel?"

"Weird but ok so far." He took it off and placed it in our basket to buy.

"This is a calf holster it sits higher then the ankle one and is more comfortable. The strap adjusts around the calf muscle."

"This one feels better then the other one." It also helped Ranger was slightly rubbing my calf with his finger tips." He threw the holster into the basket.

"Thigh holster, comes in leather and Velcro." Ranger lifted up my Skirt and started to strap both to my thighs to feel them out. He looked at me right in the eyes while doing it. His eyes darkening.

I whispered "I think your enjoying this a lot more then me Mr."

" You do have beautiful legs Babe. I look forward to wrapping them around my shoulders tonight." Holy hot flash. And he just ruined my panties.

"Which feels good." It took me a minute to remember where we were. Ranger being so close to me makes me a babbling idiot sometimes. He just smiled. He knows it too.

"Both are good, the leather is the best holster so far, feels the most comfortable and secure."

"Few more. This is like a spandex tank top and the gun hooks into the side then you put your clothes over it."

"It doesn't look comfortable or breathable, pass." The next one looked like panties with a pocket on the center off to the left of my hip where the gun would face down. I had never seen anything like it before.

"Hell no."

"Ok that leaves a belt holster and shoulder holster. Since you like the leather thigh holster we will get them in leather too. Let's grab some ammo for our guns and practice now after I pay for this." I felt guilty. Ranger was spending money on holsters I would probably never use again after Greece but I knew I couldn't tell him that because he would get angry and a deal is a deal.

Ranger spoke to the man in Greek for a few minutes, got us ear and eye protection and a bunch of bullets. HOW LONG WERE WE GOING TO BE SHOOTING! It seemed like a lot. Ranger took my hand and the bag and walked me to this room in the back with only 3 lanes.

"Ok pull out your gun and load the clip. I want you to load the gun and unload it ten times for me while I watch." I did as he said while thinking the whole time these better be damn nice shoes after this morning.

"Ok line yourself up and put on your glasses. Leave the head gear off so I can instruct you. Take your position. Spread your feet apart a little more. Relax your shoulders, shot for the center and unload the clip." I did as he said.

"Not bad, you hit the chest, upper arms. When's the last time you practiced."

"I don't know." I knew exactly, it was when I worked for Ranger doing searches and he made me.

"I'll change the paper you reload. It's at 30 feet. I have a feeling if you would shoot someone it would be around this distance. We will practice 60 feet when you master 30. This time don't hold your breathe or scrunch your eyes. Release your breathe when you pull on the trigger." Ranger got behind me and started moving his hands around mine that were holding the gun.

"This position straight at the heart. Move up a millimeter the head, move down a millimeter the stomach. You always start in your center then move. Right or left 2 millimeters is the arms. Legs are down 4 millimeters from your center. Now do it yourself while I call shots. "Heart". I fired. I almost hit the heart dead on too. Ranger came up again and adjusted me. "Again." I hit it dead on. Damn. He was good. "Arm." I fired. I hit it but it was more like a graze. He adjusted me again.

"Heart." I fired. "Right arm." I fired. "Left arm." I fired. "Stomach. Right leg, Left leg. Head."

"Good reload." He changed the paper again. "Now practice with out me adjusting you. Adjust yourself. Pick a place and shot. Keep shooting and reloading till I tell you to stop." I did. I kept shooting and refilling clips. I didn't suck but I wasn't very accurate when I called my own shots. At one point I forgot he was even there when I unloaded my gun getting it ready to reload. My arms started to hurt.

"Stop. You did good Babe, you've improved from your first paper guy to your last." He showed me the pictures. I did and that made me feel good about myself.

"If you keep practicing it will make watching each others back easier."

"Pierre will get jealous." Pierre was Tank's real name and he hated it. If you called it to his face I don't know what would happen but it wouldn't be good. Ranger gave me a dazzling smile.

"He'll survive. On that table behind you is stuff to clean your gun. I'm going to practice now while you do that." Ugh I hated cleaning my gun but I know if I don't it could lead to misfiring and blow my hand off. I watched Ranger shoot in fascination. He was dead accurate and most of his bullets went through the same holes. When he called his shots he actually hit them. He loaded and reloaded his gun many times and placed the paper pictures at many different distances. I knew I would never be that good but it made me feel a hell of a lot safer that he could.

He finished and came over to clean his gun. He was a pro at that too that shouldn't have surprised me, he shot it enough. He checked over my gun and passed me the bag.

"Pick a holster for today. The gun was still empty." So I picked the leather thigh holster and attached it to myself then placed the gun inside of it. I adjusted it so I felt comfortable then walked back and forth in the room to check its placement. I was happy so Ranger led us out of the store.

"Are we going shopping now?"

"Yes. Let me call ahead so they have stuff ready for us." He pulled out a weird looking phone and dialed a number off a piece of paper and started to speak Greek quickly. He ended the call without so much as a goodbye. Guess some things don't change.

"We'll be there in an hour, hour and a half depending on traffic. They will pull things in both of our sizes. Pick whatever you like and want. Your Stephanie Mendez's you can afford it so don't look at the prices. Whatever you pick out can stay in the closets here and use in the future if you need to hide out again."

I usually felt guilty when Ranger bought me clothes, I didn't like him spending his money on me, but I didn't have any of my cards on me even if I could afford it where we were going. I told myself this is for our cover and I did need clothes but when we got back to Trenton I would find some way to pay Ranger back.

Around an hour and 15 minutes later Ranger parked the car a few blocks from the shop. It was a large store that catered to men and women and the window display showed the most amazing clothes I have ever seen. It made department store shopping look like child's play. When we entered 2 older women greeted us in Greek and Ranger spoke to them. All I got was Stephanie in the entire conversation.

Ranger pulled me close to him so we were facing each other. "Tulla has pulled racks of things for you in the dressing room. I'll be sitting in the chair inside the dressing room while your behind the curtain if you want to model the lingerie for me."

He gave me a whisper of a kiss. And then walked me over to Tulla. She looked really happy to see me, probably for the commission she was about to make off Ranger. She was an older woman in her forties with a friendly smile. She walked me behind the curtain while Ranger went over to his rack and started dividing the things he liked from what he didn't like.

I discretely removed my gun holster and placed it in my purse. I didn't want to freak Tulla out. Her English was broken but I could understand her. She started pulling dresses for me and I was just standing there in my underwear in front of her trying different things on and checking myself in the mirror. Tulla had great taste and would pair the dress with different shoes. The shoes were all to die for! Boots that went to my thigh, over my knee, ankle, gladiator sandals, normal sandals, beach sandals, even a pair of sneakers and different heels.

"Your husband is very sweet. He told me on the phone that you needed a whole wardrobe because yours got lost of the flight over. He told me no price. So romantic! He also told me to pull whatever I thought looked best on you. So we need to try all of these racks and if your still unhappy we can walk the store together." I tried on several summer dresses mindful I'd have to have my gun so a few choices I had to veto. I did pick some shorts, different tops and pants. Some casual clothes, a few fancy skirts and dresses just in case we went somewhere that called for the occasion.

"Tulla where do most of these clothes come from? They are all different styles and fabrics."

"Everywhere. Some our own designs, some from Spain, Italy, Paris and all over Europe. We try to have something for everyone's taste. Now the weather will be changing soon so I pulled warmer clothes too. Your husband wasn't sure how long you would be vacationing and he wanted you warm and comfortable. This brown trench coat with ruffles is from Paris! It is to die for and with your hair and those black over the knee boots you would be stunning."

I put the outfit together and she was right. I looked hot. Tulla moved us onto the next rack with accessories and purses. She helped me pick things that would go with the majority of the outfits. After we exhausted all the clothes, shoes and accessories for all sorts of weather she moved onto lingerie.

"No offense Tulla but I think I'll try on these items alone."

"No problem I'll be just outside the curtain if you need anything and I'll start removing the discards."

I looked at the rack. There were bra and panties, teddies, baby dolls, some really risque pieces that would barely cover anything, garters, garter belts and stockings in lace. I worked at E.E. Martin buying lingerie and I recognized quality when I saw it. Most of the items didn't even have prices on them which made me nervous. I know Ranger has a black Amex but I didn't want to go to far with his generosity. The corsets were from Paris and looked like pieces of art. I picked a few things from each style that Ranger would enjoy from innocent, to naughty, to sexy and risque.

I tried on a bathing suit or two and a few sexy lounge outfits to sleep in and then was ready to head out. I put my thigh holster back into place and checked it before I opened the curtain. Ranger had the chair re-positioned in the corner so he could see me and the front of the store's doors. He looked relaxed with his arms and legs crossed just waiting for me. Tulla came over and grabbed my choices. Ranger's eyes darkened looking at them. He stood up and walked over to me and passed Tulla his credit card. She happily ran off.

"You didn't model for me Babe. I was a little disappointed."

"We're in a store and Tulla would have heard us Mr." I pointed my finger into his chest. "But I am willing to give you a private show back at home tonight. I feel bad you had to wait. I've never seen clothes like this before from all over. Did you find anything. I didn't hear you try anything on?"

"They were my size, I just picked what I wanted, didn't need to try them on." I looked at him like he was crazy. I always tried everything on, some things the sizes needed to be adjusted. I never just bought things.

I shook my head "Men."

"I picked way too much so let me go narrow it down before you get a coronary from the bill."

Ranger kissed me deeply. "I told Tulla to ring it all up. The clothes suit you and I don't know how long we will be here on vacation." My mouth gaped.

"Seriously I picked out a ton of things, the shoes alone are like 10 pairs. It's going to be a huge Bill and I want to pay you back." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"I enjoy spoiling my wife. And we are getting everything. We make plenty of money from our business to splurge. Now lets go eat."

I felt dazed. Ranger called me his wife and in that moment I felt like I really was even though this was just a cover. I still felt really guilty over the clothes but I'd make it up to him tonight in bed and be extra generous to him. Tulla bagged up all of our purchases and I was worried it wouldn't fit in the car. She gave Ranger the receipt and shook his hand and told him something in Greek. Then she smiled at me and hugged and kissed my cheeks telling me to come see her again and gave me her card. If I ever have the money to come see her again I would just for the shoes if nothing else.

I looked at the time when we got back into the car.

"O my God! Ranger went into search mode looking for a threat and throwing his body in front of me in the front seat of the car."

"What do you see?" His gun was out. I felt really embarrassed and was now red as a Jersey tomato.

"Nothing sorry! I'm soo sorry! I just noticed the time. I had you in there 3 and a half hours. I'm a selfish and horrible person for making you wait so long. You should have said something I didn't notice how long we were in there."

Ranger put his gun away realizing there was no threat.

"It made you happy and I didn't mind waiting. I've waited in worst places in worse conditions for a lot longer."

"Still I am truly sorry for scaring you and for the shopping." Ranger picked up my hand and kissed it then placed our entwined fingers on his thigh.

"I'll pick where we eat then and we will be square as long as I get my show tonight." We really weren't square but I liked that he said that. Usually when I shopped with Morelli at the mall he'd go to his sections and I'd go to mine then he'd try to rush me along. Anytime we went to Victoria Secret he'd make a b-line for Auntie Ann's or an ice cream cone instead of waiting for me. I never really noticed the differences between the two Alpha Males in my life before but the longer I spent with Ranger the more I realize that I was wasting my time with Morelli being unhappy. I couldn't figure out how the hell I let that even happen to me again after the Dickie debacle.


	10. Chapter 10

SPOV

We drove a little ways and parked in a small lot. Ranger came around to open my door and took my hand while we walked to a semi busy restaurant. It had indoor and outdoor seating but I knew Ranger would only eat inside, outside was too exposed. While walking on the sidewalk I noticed a little gift shop next door. Outside of it was books and maps with the best places to visit in Crete and Greece. I made Ranger stop so I could get the map and book. It wasn't super thick more of a traveler's guide and not to expensive. I paid the vendor and moved onto the restaurant.

"Is there anywhere that you'd like to visit in Crete or Greece that we need to see?"

"There are many historical places but I've never seen them. I've taken you to the majority of places I usually go to." What? Hearing that made me sad. Why wouldn't he explore somewhere after all of these years.

"Any particular reason?" He lifted his one shoulder in a non committal way.

"Well we're going to see more then a few places and turn you into a explorer, so get your adventure pants on. Looking at this map were not far from the Palace of Knossos."

Ranger spoke up. "Home to the mythical Minotaur. It was once the main center of Crete when King Minos was in power. It was excavated and restored in the 1930's using concrete and the surrounding land was planted with pine tree's where once olives, vines and cypress trees grew because of the river." That surprised me. I looked on the back of the map to see if he was reading off of it somehow.

"Who knew under that quiet veil lived a history buff. I'm quite impressed Mr. Mendez's."

"I read."

"I read too but I can't recall facts that detailed or fast. I'm thoroughly impressed that I didn't just marry you for your looks but your brains too." I giggled and give him a playful push in the stomach while we were escorted to our table. Ranger grabbed my hand and got me seated into my chair while he re-positioned himself next to me so he could see the door.

"I'm surprised you didn't bribe someone to leave there table against the wall for us."

"There's a mirror to our sides, I can see behind me." I barked out a laugh "Of course."

"Hmm let's see what else is there in Crete before we branch out. The AquaWorld Aquarium, Lychnostatis Open Air Museum, o a quad Safari?"

"No quads, there loud and we need to be able to hear and see everything around us."

"Ok how about Herakleion Archaelogical museum?" he gave me a nod.

" I have the perfect place for you too, the Spinalonga. It's an ancient fortress. You love fortresses. Maybe you'll get some new ideas." I winked at him. Rangeman was like Fort Knox and I'm sure he has built other systems to be just as strong.

"Also a leper colony in the 50's. But it would be interesting to see." He knows the weirdest facts.

The waiter came to take our order so I put the books into my purse. I ordered moussaka finally with some watermelon on the side and Ranger ordered lamb skewers and horiatiki salad. There was a lot of tourists talking in many different languages, mixtures of young couples or small families and friends hanging around. I was sipping on my ice tea checking out the art work on the wall when the waiter came back and placed a glass of red wine in front of me. I was surprised since I didn't order it.

"Sorry I didn't order this?" As I pointed to the wine.

"A gift from an admirer at the bar." He pointed to a very good looking Italian man dressed well in tan dress slacks and an expensive looking dress shirt. He was in his thirties and raised his glass at me and winked when I looked at him. Ranger said something in Greek to the waiter and he took the wine away quickly. Then he narrowed his eyes and gave the man a death glare. I have only seen this glare when he was facing the most dangerous of criminals. The man thankfully took the hint and finished his wine and left the restaurant.

I started laughing at the man running away. "You have to teach me that."

"Impossible and it's not wise to accept gifts from strangers especially in foreign countries." Ranger grabbed my hand and kissed it and held it while scanning the restaurant.

Ranger and Morelli have always been territorial of me when it comes to men around me, so I just brushed the incident off. When Ranger felt territorial he made sure his employees knew I was his woman and to not hit on me even though we weren't a couple. He also let Stark street and any bad guys know his involvement with me to keep them away from me.

Any way, Ranger didn't do emotions like jealousy. He mostly didn't show emotions because they were a waste of energy he told me, but I discovered he felt them. Morelli however would have his picture in the dictionary under the word. Even though we had a weird relationship and were undefined most times, he was always jealous and not trusting of Ranger. I guess he had reason to be, but if any other man showed interest like Dave Brewer who tried to cook his way into my heart and pants or Diesel staying with me at my apartment then all of a sudden he'd pee a circle around me and talk about marriage.

The only time Ranger mentioned even remotely being jealous was in hypothetical terms. He once told me if I was his woman and didn't come home with my underwear, he'd find who had it and it wouldn't end pretty. Ranger didn't do things like real relationships, so I didn't think I'd have to worry about a jealous side coming out. Me on the other hand I would get jealous when girls came onto Joe and Ranger in the past. It's not something I'm proud of but I'm a work in progress. I don't know how I would act if someone openly hit on Ranger while we're here in Greece but I don't think it would be pretty for the woman. I wanted to lighten the mood so I made a joke.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of coming home without my panties." Ranger looked confused for a second and then remembered our conversation and gave me a small smile.

RPOV

I liked hearing that Babe wanted to explore, it was good to get her out of the burg bubble and see her flourish without being taken down pegs left and right. In the past I've told myself I would eventually explore the island but I usually came to Crete for rest and relaxation from a mission or to get my head straight then need to return back for work or because I was needed by Tank.

I liked how Babe was keeping my interests in mind too and not just wanting to hit all the clothing stores on the island. She said she was selfish but she is the farthest from it. She helps anyone in need even when they can't afford to pay her. I know she felt bad about me waiting at the store, I saw it all over her face. Most women wouldn't care that I spent my time and money on them but Babe wasn't like that, she appreciated everything I did to help her without the expectation of it.

She was one of the few women I knew who didn't care about my money or cars. I figured it out pretty early after we went after Dodd's and I got shot in the leg while assisting her. This small woman from the burg who needed the money a lot more then I did since I was driving a Mercedes at the time, sent me the full check for the capture even though she tackled him and only took $50 for herself for an answering machine because I got hurt.

I remember calling Connie about the check I received telling her she sent it to the wrong person and her surprising me by saying Steph told her too. Babe also never borrows my cars for too long. She could keep them forever, yet she always returns them as soon as possible if they aren't destroyed first. It's some of the things that got under my skin when I first met her that made me care for her.

When I discovered someone had sent her wine and was trying to hit on her I became annoyed and jealous. It's not productive to act out my jealousy but I was. We were technicality married and I didn't like people on my turf since Morelli isn't in the picture this time. I have never felt jealousy over a woman since high school but Babe brings out a lot of emotions that I thought I had long buried.

My possessive and protective tendencies have come out in full force around her a lot more in the last two years. I use to be jealous of Morelli but once I discovered they had an unhealthy relationship and couldn't live together for very long I knew one day they would split for good. Morelli was also a moron for letting me spend time with her as much as I did. If Steph and I were together and he tried to intervene, I'd handle it immediately and make him stay away.

I try not to show Babe that side of me because she is fiercely independent and I know Joe gave her enough jealousy to last a lifetime, so I fall back on my control. Sometimes I think what will happen when we go back home. Will she get back with Morelli eventually? Do we just pretend none of this happened. I don't want to spoil our time and push Steph but we will have to have this conversation before we get on that plane.

Our food arrived and smelled delicious. I like how there was so many options in Greece that were a lot healthier then the states, another reason I brought Babe here. Everything was so new, she didn't know how much better she was eating then before she was taken and I wasn't going to share.

"My moussaka is so good, here try this."

I had a bite and some watermelon it was good. I fed Babe a piece of meat with the dip and some salad.

She moaned her appreciation turning a few heads in her direction. "So good! But the dip is different, it's mint I think right?" I nodded.

She smiled. I liked making her smile. Not many women did unless they wanted me to sleep with them or buy them dinner. Babe smiled because she actually enjoyed spending time with me even when we didn't talk. We ate in comfortable silence and just held hands.

"Dessert Carlos. Look at the options I haven't seen this many before so help me pick something new. The options are Karythopita, a walnut cake, Kataifi which is like Baklava." Babe started blushing at the memory. That was a favorite of mine as well. "Zacharoplasteion which just says sweets, rizogalo which is rice pudding that's an option for you and sifnopitta which is honey and cheese cake. I like cheesecake."

"It's not the same thing, its more like a bread cake."

" Hmmm. Surprise me."

I told the waiter we wanted a small dish of rizogalo and sifnopitta with a two Greek coffees.

The waiter came back with our coffees and desserts. Babe gave me a wicked smile and said "Proud of you Babe. I won't tell your temple if you don't. First rice pudding then the dark side, candy. If you start rolling your eyes like me then I'll realize its a sign of the Apocalypse and alert Pierre to secure the fortress." She gave me a big smile and a huge laugh and I couldn't help but join her. She was kidding with me about the candy and eye rolling but I kissed her anyway. I have never felt so relaxed and enjoyed so much time with a woman before.

"You better watch yourself calling him that name to his face Babe."

"I have no doubt your merry men will protect me if I ever made that mistake but I promise I won't. He could crush me like a bug and I am sure he can out run me. The only safe place would be next to Lula." It was true, he would be very angry but she had a shot if Lula was there. Tank avoided her like the plague. I'm surprise he doesn't walk around Trenton with one of his cats as a talisman to keep her away.

SPOV

I enjoy relaxed Ranger. He usually is very serious and he still is, but he is also having fun I think.

"Let's go to the Palace of Knossos now, I'm sure you need to work off your dessert so you don't get a muffin top." Ranger raised his eyebrow at me and quirking his lips into an almost smile. The man didn't have an ounce of fat on his perfect body but I liked to tease him anyway so he didn't get a big ego. We jumped into the car and parked some time later.

"Holy tasty cakes this places is huge!" It was really warm day so we grabbed our new sun glasses and hats from our shopping trip and started to explore. Touring was like a big circle so we entered through the west side. It was really impressive and I read out loud each posted section on the spot we were admiring so Ranger could keep his eyes on everyone while we held hands. My favorite was the throne room and the queen's apartments. I notice Ranger take an interest learning about the different rooms and how they led to each other, as well as the spiral staircase exhibit. He'd tell me facts as we walked along this beautiful palace that made it interesting and not boring like most field trips growing up in school. I knew Ranger was highly intelligent but his knowledge was really astounding. If Julie inherited half his brain she would be a really smart kid. I should eventually ask how she is, I try not to pry but I'm curious by nature.

We had been here for several hours and were just getting ready to leave to get in our car to go home when I noticed a bunch of cars and a high tent with open sides with lots of music planning. I saw a bride and groom enter the tent and people were cheering and coming and going through the tent all dressed up.

"Have you ever crashed a wedding?" Ranger raised an eyebrow at me "No."

"Do you want to? We have fancy clothes in the car and although I don't have a bucket list I kind of have always wanted too. It's only the reception. No one knows everyone at the reception, I sure as hell didn't when it was my wedding."

"That's a lot of people over 300, it would be hard to secure you."

"I promise to stay with you the whole time and if you get a bad feeling or my Spidey sense goes off we can leave right away. Come on, there are 12 tables over there of just food and bride's always have extra seats for guests that don't rsvp." I started biting my lip hoping he would agree. He started rubbing his entire face thinking. I've only seen him do that a few times when he was stressed, usually when Diesel visited.

"Fine, but no drinking, I need you to keep your eyes open with me and you have to be attached to me. I don't do small talk."

"Yes! I promise I'll handle it. I'll be a friend of the bride and you just be my husband. There is a bathroom over there, hurry up and change with me."

Ranger picked the lock of a staff bathroom so we could change together.

"Picking locks wasn't on your list, any reason?"

"I've tried in the past and gave up. Usually I just find a key to someone's house and if I can't, I break the window with my elbow or purse then just report a kid threw a baseball threw it."

"It can be a goal once you complete your current objectives."

We both took off our clothes and I put on a blush pink dress that was a halter and left my back exposed but made my legs look amazing. Luckily it had built in support for my boobs and I pulled on some high heels. I brushed my hair and did a quick French twist and fixed my make up. Ranger changed in under 3 minutes and looked perfect in grey dress pants and jacket with an open white shirt and black dress shoes. He just washed his face and dried it and we were on our way to drop off our discarded clothes to the car.

He placed his hand on the sole of my back and glided me into the tent. At times he made patterns on my back that I found distracting and sexually frustrating. "You look amazing Babe, I can't wait to get you home to show you just how much."

There was a photo of the bride and groom upon entering and no seating chart, perfect. Allegra was Italian and Nick was Greek so we would blend in just fine.

I whispered to Ranger " I'm friend's with the bride Allegra and her husband's name is Nick. No seating chart so we can sit anywhere except near the couple or their immediate family." Ranger was looking uneasy. I rolled my eyes at him. "Relax we'll pop our cherry together." I grabbed his hand and found a seat near the back so Ranger could put his back to the tent wall. Everyone was dancing, eating and chatting. It was very loud and boisterous.

I sat down next to Ranger and immediately people started introducing each other at the table.

"Hi I'm Athena and this is my husband, how do you know the couple?"

"I'm an old friend of Allegra's and this is my husband Carlos." Ranger just nodded. "And you?"

"We both went to school with Nick forever ago."

The other people at the table introduced themselves to us and a few of the women were even checking Ranger out, so I glared at them and eventually they stopped. Ranger didn't even pay them a glance. Most of our table were old acquaintances and friends of Nick or Nick's family so we were golden.

"Let's get some food." I grabbed Ranger's hand while he left his jacket at our seats.

"I'm in heaven Carlos. I've never seen so much food or different options in my life." I grabbed a plate and started to pile on a little bit of everything Italian and Greek, while Ranger was picking the healthier Greek options. When we got back to the table Athena was telling us how the bride was dancing the Kalamatiano with her bridal party and how many guests were doing some kind of circle dance. Augustine told me about all of the traditions the couple incorporated into the wedding. It really was a great party it made my reception look like a boring tea party.

Lots of waiters had trays of ouzo and people were drinking them like water and saying Opa and Salute. I have never had this much fun at a wedding reception or a party. Even Ranger seemed to loosen up a bit.

"This dish is amazing, what am I eating Carlos?"

"Lamb with vegetables and a tomato sauce."

Augustine broke into our conversation. "Carlos are you going to ask your beautiful wife to dance or do I need to steal her away? It's a wedding, a stunning woman such as her should be shown off." I looked at Ranger and smiled. I tried to give him puppy dog eyes and it must have worked because he kissed my forehead and grabbed my hand to stand with me. We joined the circle of dancers and I should have known Ranger could dance but I had to watch the person next to me to get the steps down. The burg didn't teach traditional Greek dances, mostly the fox trout and waltz with a tango. Afterwards we danced a few fast songs then a few slow. Our bodies moved well together and Ranger was a great lead. I enjoyed feeling warm and safe in his strong arms.

"You are quite a dancer I never knew."

"I'm Cuban. It's tradition."

"I've never had so much fun at a wedding, thank you for doing this for me." I looked into his eyes "I now regret we didn't go to your friend's reception when we were both in the wedding party. It probably would have been a great night." I kissed him deeply and Ranger grabbed the back of my head keeping me in place while we swayed slowly. Things were starting to heat up on the dance floor so Ranger broke the kiss and started to lead us back to the table.

"Ready to head home?" I gave him a nod and he picked up his jacket and grabbed our little bag of Jordan almonds.

RPOV

"You know these almonds are suppose to symbolize the hope of difficult times will balance out with happiness." Babe placed her hand on my check and gave me a long and deep kiss then snuggled her head deeper into my neck while I held her protectively back to the car to drive us home.

"Then we should buy a case load. We get into enough trouble as it is back home." It didn't seem like a bad idea in theory although I'd never eat them.

I opened the door for Babe and safely got her into her seat. I got into the driver's side and started the car. I grabbed Babe's hand and kissed it and placed it back on my thigh while I drove us home. I normally didn't do spontaneous things. I never attended weddings anymore unless for a very good reason but I had a really good time with Babe and I felt us getting a lot closer then we ever had before.

We were almost home when I felt Babe move her hand up my thigh gently. She was making me hard. I looked at her and she knew what she was doing. At one point she squeezed me and I felt the zipper digging into me uncomfortably. I drove faster. I parked us quickly and she jumped out of the car. I barely got us through the door when she jumped into my arms and placed her legs around my waist. I doubled checked the locks and security system then took us into the bedroom.

The first two rounds Babe used her mouth and hands on me to make me shatter. She wouldn't even let me touch her. I tried but she just kept pushing me back down telling me she wanted to take care of me first. She really did and I returned the favor many times.

At one point in the middle of the night after our multiple coupling, fast at times then slower and sweeter, I noticed the bed was wobbling. I looked underneath and we had broke one of the legs. Babe thought that was hysterical, so I got out of bed and placed a book under it to steady us so we could fall into a deep sleep together.

Tank POV

I had Ramon print out all of our pictures from the firebox's and placed them along my desk. I also gave him the mold of the safety deposit box key to have a duplicate made for me. The pictures from the garage were of his old army days with men I didn't recognized but would have the names and faces enlarged to get a better look.

I sent them to Hector to try and match names to faces with people from his unit that I couldn't make out on there uniforms. The dog tags weren't important but I ran his service Id number to get a deeper picture of where he was stationed. Unfortunately it would take time to get all of those records. The other pictures in the upstairs fire box were of family members. I researched names and dates to people on both sides of the Plum-Mazur family to connect the dots.

I rechecked to see if there was a safety deposit box in any family members names including Stephanie's and there wasn't, married or maiden names either. I remember Cal found a lot of medical bills for Mrs. Plum, so ran her name into the search system to check her records. At this point it was just more out of curiosity. I removed Frank Plum's background information and poured over it again.

I checked his known friends and acquaintances and all were the burg and none of them had a safety deposit box. I decided to get some lunch and take a break. I came back to my office and started to eat the minestrone Ella had prepared. My phone rang and I spilled some on Frank Plum's background. Great.

I spent the next half hour explaining a system to an important client who couldn't figure how to set it, then finally just gave up and told him I would send someone out to assist. I looked back at the background check and noticed a big stain of soup around his relatives page. I looked closer and noticed his grandfather's name use to be Plumerri and then it was changed eventually to Plum.

I typed it into the system and ran Frank Plumerri in the tri-state to see if any accounts showed up. My computer pinged with Helen Plum's gynecologist records. Recently it shows she has menopause, but is also treated for chronic pain in the past. It's not serve enough to need serve pain relievers, just Tylenol.

I went back through the records over the years nothing stood out until I got to the year of Stephanie's birth. Doctor notes that Helen Plum was not able to conceive any longer due to complications from a former pregnancy. I went back further into her records and I didn't see anything documented from any issues of Steph's birth other then she was premature. It said mother had no complications at the hospital record. That's weird.

I sent this file over to Silvio in Miami to dig into deeper. I went back further in the months, computers weren't widely used back then so notes were vague and some were missing. I heard a ping come in for my safety deposit box search and I found one for a Frank Plumerri at Trenton First National Bank. Got you.

Now I need to figure out a plan to get into it. I can't just walk up with an ID pretending to be Frank Plum, it's a neighborhood bank, those people know everyone in the burg.


	11. Chapter 11

SPOV

I woke up wrapped around a warm Ranger. My head was resting in his neck and my legs intertwined with his. His arm felt good wrapped around my shoulder with his other hand palming my ass. My bits were feeling pretty sore after last night but it was a great night. Ranger smelled like fresh Bulgari so he must have gotten up earlier to shower and work out. It was only 8 am so I dug myself back into his neck and relaxed while breathing in his scent.

"You have 5 more minutes until we start the day." I groaned.

"What's the plan today Higgins? Are we going to storm a fortress, relax on the beach, hunt for breakfast."

"Stalking and any historical place of your choosing." I lifted my head up to look in his eyes.

"And who might we be stalking?"

"Whomever you choose. Tailing someone on foot is your lesson today. You need to read the person first, decide if they are safe and then we will tail them." I started to laugh.

"I'm usually on the other side of the stalking, this sounds fun."

"If you learn how to stalk, it will make it more difficult for people to stalk you since you'll pick up most of there tricks." That makes sense in theory.

"Ok let me shower then we can hit the bakery on our way to Spinalonga, the fortress." I tossed him my traveler's guide book so he could read about it. I grabbed my gun and went to the bathroom. I turned on the water and noticed I never removed my holster from last night on my thigh. That made me laugh, only Ranger could distract me that much that I wouldn't notice.

I took a long shower just working on my sore muscles then brushed and threw my hair into a pony tail. I missed shorter hair, it took me twice as long to style it now. I got dressed in front of my closet and pulled on some of my new underwear, it was baby blue and see threw in sections that made it look sexy but functional.

I strapped my gun back onto my thigh still unloaded and took several moments to go through the bags Ranger had brought in from the car. I started to hang things up that were both Ranger and mine. I decided on a flower pattern skirt that went just above my knee and a tank top. Once I put all the clothes and shoes away in there proper spot I stepped back to admire my work. Our clothes went nicely together.

I grabbed my gladiator sandals and one of my new over the body traveling bags and filled it with everything that was in my purse plus several bottles of water and a few pieces of fruit. Ranger was in the kitchen doing the same into his travel book bag. He was looking cool in a t-shirt and jeans with some aviator sunglasses. He passed me a travel mug of coffee and we made our way down to the bakery. Ranger got another spinach cake thing and I got donuts finally, except they weren't really like the ones I was used too. They were small like munchkins but made of a little sugar and mostly honey. But a doughnut is a doughnut in my book. We walked back to the car and Ranger put the address into our gps.

"To stalk someone you can't follow them closely. Like tailing someone when you drive, you stay two car lengths behind at minimum. With people you need to maintain distance but be able to follow. Most men think their strong and invincible, they do not look around their surroundings as much unless they are up to something, so they won't notice if you follow them more closely unless its obvious or you stick out like a sore thumb.

In that case you need to carry extra clothes around in your car or bag to blend in. Women are usually more on guard with their surroundings to protect themselves from being attacked, so they pick up tails more often, and women with children especially notice people following them because they are looking for predators. It's always better to research the person your following first. Check and see if they have priors, listed weapons, ties to mobs or gangs.

If your in a situation where you can't get a background check first, you need to read them from far away. Watch for weapons or tells and look for their dominate hand. Make sure you look inconspicuous, so your hair in a tie, sunglasses and a hat. Don't wear sunglasses and a hat at the same time while following someone it's noticeable. Don't make eye contact with the person if they turn around and don't look nervous. If it's a busy street check out different vendors while keeping the person in sight, look like your playing with your phone, texting or surfing the web. If it's an open street without a lot of people or cover, do not follow directly behind. Instead go across the street and find somewhere ahead of your target and monitor from there.

Being on high ground is best for a meeting but for active following you need to sit with a coffee and your phone or a newspaper. Animals are unpredictable and make noises, I don't suggest using them when you watch someone. Ramos's son caught you because you hand Bob."

"Alexander Ramos lives sometimes in Greece he told me, shouldn't we be worried we'd run into him?"

"No he lives on another island on a compound he rarely leaves. There is always a chance we may see him but we don't look like we usually do and he is an old man."

"Now if the person your tailing is moving around a lot and you need information about his constant whereabouts, you need to plant a bug on his person. Bump into them somehow but once you make contact they can't see you again or they will get suspicious. If you think your mark has made you, do not hide. Just keep acting normal and when they stop to observe you, just walk past them and get out of sight. The person will think they are just being paranoid and usually let it go unless they see you again.

The point is if you are spotted is to look forgettable, not a lot of makeup, hair back, inconspicuous clothes. It also helps to have a partner, someone on foot, someone in a car, to switch off so you both don't get made. We're going to practice a lot today with men, women, families. Don't get frustrated if you don't succeed the first time. It takes practice."

"What about if I try to get information out of someone my way and it doesn't work. I can't torture someone for information, I tried with that Slayer Anton ward that Lula, Connie and I kidnapped. The kidnapping was fine and tying him up, but when I went to hit him I remembered what it was like to be in the position and I couldn't do it. It's one thing to defend myself if he was untied or it was someone like Dickie, otherwise I struggle."

"You did most of the work correctly. You got him out of his comfort zone and to a location that was safe for you to interrogate him. You isolated him and had a plan to get him back into the system. Never feed your mark for the first day or two, don't even see them if you can, make them sweat. By the time they see you, the fear might be enough for the person to talk. Interrogation rooms make people feel interrogated and people won't open up right away, so location is key.

When you want information never to do good cop, bad cop, everyone knows it from the movies. If you get stuck in that situation it's best to just throw that person under the bus immediately in front of the mark by telling them that's what you won't be doing. The person your with will get pissed but your mark starts trusting you a little. Try to get someone to talk under 5 minutes for the best information. It gives them less time to lie once they know what you want. Ask about hockey to your mark. You talk about it and ask them who they like or why they don't like the sport. Just get them to talk about the sport regardless of the topic. Then you throw the question you want in the middle while keeping it light. Gives your mark a false sense of security.

Read the body language from the moment your with the mark. Always make sure you see there hands are in front and on the table. You don't want them to escape. Look for the lies by getting them to talk about sports for instance, you see there normal behavior before they start lying to you. Look at the eyes twitching or playing with fingers, biting lips for nerves. If they don't talk still, look and see if they're a smoker or a user. Offer a fix for the information. When your options are exhausted you leave the room and don't tell them anything, let them sweat again.

At that point you'll have to call me in to see what can be done." That all makes perfect sense, I feel stupid now for how I handled it before. "Questions?"

"Have I even been tailed on foot by you without my knowledge?"

"Babe." I'm going to take that as a yes. I can't believe I didn't spot him.

"No. But if I had learned half this stuff in school I would have actually paid attention. While you were talking I kept thinking how I could have handled Anton Ward better so I didn't have to bother you."

"I want you to come to me when you need assistance, I go to you too when I need it. And there wasn't much you could have done with Ward. He was in a gang, didn't respect women and three women took him. You could have slapped him around for days and I still don't think he would have talked. He needed something to fear more." I wanted to ask him why he goes to me so much for assistance, why not someone just like him, Jeanne Ellen Burrows. But deep down I'm glad he doesn't. It would hurt me if he went to her for help.

"Does this mean were going to kidnap someone so I can interrogate them?" Ranger's lips curved in a small smile.

"Not today." That made me a little nervous. I didn't want to traumatize a complete stranger.

We arrived at the fortress and it was breath taking. It over looked the water and you could see boats in the distance bringing more visitors.

"How does it work with the two of us following someone."

"It's easier. Anytime we look suspicious to our mark we look into each others eyes, kiss or hold each other. People usually notice one person following them, not a couple."

"When your ready pick someone during our time here, otherwise lets look around."

Tank POV

Rangeman does not do security for Mr. Plum's bank unfortunately so I have decided to have Binkie follow the bank manager and bumped into him to borrow his keys and make imprints of them. I'll have Hector get the keys made and pretend to be opening up a safety deposit box to get into the vault. I already have a key and box number so it shouldn't be too long until I can see inside of it.

There has been something bothering me about Mrs. Plum's medical records too that I'm hoping Silvio can clear up today or otherwise I will need to contact Mrs. Mazur. I really didn't want to call her. My phone started to ring, Connie.

"Yo."

"Please tell me Steph is coming back soon. We are so behind on FTA's and I'm trying to hire someone in the interim but they are all crazies in leather thinking they're the next dog the bounty hunter with a license to kill. I'm going to kill someone soon. I saw someone in ass less chaps for crying out loud."

"I don't know when. Make Vinnie get them."

"I am. And let's just say he is out of practice since Steph stepped up. Mooner's was off his happy juice when Vinnie and Lula went to pick him up and he was like a wild animal with a bad attitude. Thankfully his batch of brownies had just finished in the oven to mellow him out or even he wouldn't have been brought in. Whatever Steph is doing this is more important, you need to get her back."

"Not happening." She started to grunt and scream on the other side of the phone then broke into some Italian, mostly swear words.

"I can't even get Joyce in here because she is marrying some old guy, and I refuse to call Jeanne Ellen Burrows. Steph would blow a gasket and never come back or forgive me if Cat woman took her cases while she was away. We need a body, any body, can you loan us someone for a little while or do you know someone we can hire?"

"I'll call you back." I hung up. Rangeman was out of the bond game, business didn't need it anymore, we were profitable without it. I didn't want to use any of the employees because I need them on call for Rangeman and they have a non compete against picking up odd jobs. Rangeman only helped Steph on occasion with her skips but they were mostly there to protect her then to hunt down a criminal. I liked Connie so I went through my contacts to see if I could throw her a bone.

SPOV

We decided it would be more fun to explore without a tour guide so I just grabbed all the information they had and a map, and became our own tour guide.

"First built to protect Olous in 3000-900 B.C. by the Venetians, it was once considered impregnable. It was attempted to be taken by the pirate Barbarossa but did not fall until the Ottoman Empire in 1715. It says it was eventually turned into a leper colony to try and scare the Turks away by the Grecian government. 400 inhabitants over the half century."

"Leprosy use to be one of the most feared diseases of that time but also the oldest disease known to man." Interesting and weird Ranger knows that.

"It says eventually the infected people created hospitals, cafes, homes and turned itself into a society." We continued walking through the hospital and admired the view of the ocean. I looked down and saw a grave yard with hundreds of people buried here. Ranger briefly looked as well then had us move on. He seemed very quiet more then usual.

"Although it's mostly in ruins it has a fascinating history and the view is stunning. I could see people liking to live here even though they were treated like outcasts in normal society." I continued to read facts and tour the ruins with Ranger. Once we got out of that wing he started listening to me talk about the history and admire the lay out. Half way through our tour he spoke.

"Have you picked someone?" I looked around.

"The woman with the jean shorts and the artist pad. Tight clothes, no weapons, small purse barely can fit a bottle of water. Middle class by the clothing, a loner."

"Let's follow." He pulled me to him and wrapped his arm around my waist. We followed where she went for the next hour and then switched to a male and then a small family. At first it felt awkward and I learned quickly what was close and to close. Anytime I thought someone was getting suspicious I'd embrace Ranger and point to the distance or something in the fortress. There were a lot of relics and artifacts to talk about. At times I walked alone with Ranger 10 steps behind me so I could practice by myself but with him still having eyes on me. Although kind of creepy to be following someone, I learned a lot. Things I'll have to look for when my spidey sense tingles.

"Did you have fun? Pick up any pointers to build your very own?"

"A few." He grinned.

"I'm glad we came here. The history is fascinating and I liked being able to go into the different rooms and tunnels but I'm starving now." Right on cue the beast made its presence known.

"Late lunch and then you pick the next spot, we keep doing my places. Here take the map and book."

Tank POV

It's been a long day and I still haven't received word from Silvio or Hector about the information I requested but they are probably backed up with other work. I made it a priority unless immediate Rangeman business needed to be handled first. Binkie reported he hasn't had the chance to get the bank manager's keys yet either. It was getting late so I called Grandma Mazur.

"Hello?"

"Mrs. Mazur this is Tank are we able to talk?"

"O hey hot stuff. I am just at the mall with the girls but come pick me up and we can eat and chat. See you in front of Macy's." And she hung up. I just wanted a phone call and now I'm getting a face to face. I need Ranger to come back soon and handle her. He should be checking in next week then I'll get word.

I got into my car and slowly made my way to the mall. When I saw Edna she had on a bright pink track suit with bright pink hair to match. She looked like cotton candy and it hurt to stare at her too long. She waved the women away and came up to the car and climbed in.

"Hey hot stuff, did you change your mind about that date?"

"No Edna. I just had a few questions about your daughter."

"Well I haven't seen anything suspicious or I would have called. I've been really watching too. I love all this spy stuff. Let's go to Shorty's for dinner. My baby granddaughter has been there. She told me it wasn't my kind of place but I think it is. She told me I wouldn't like it because it's not the safest to go to and we could get better food somewhere else but you can be my backup. I love danger! Maybe we can get into a bar brawl or see some action that I can tell the girls at the clip and Curl about. I bet their are a few hotties there too. Maybe I'll get lucky."

I can not walk into Shorty's with her or all my street cred is dead in the water and I will never live it down.

"Edna it really isn't a safe place to go, how about a nice diner or somewhere else outside the burg."

"No it has to be Shorty's. I've always wanted to go. If you want the information that's the place you'll get it." Damn

"You not really dressed for Shorty's, how about I take you another time?" Like never.

"O why didn't you say sexy. I got some new clothes in my bag. A black jacket and black pants I can change in the car before we go in." Damn

"Is there anyway I could talk you into somewhere else?"

"No. Now lets go hot stuff I'm starving."

I put the car in gear and made my way slowly over to Shorty's. I debated with myself, was all of this was really worth it.

"Fine. I have ground rules though or I'm taking you straight home. One you call me Tank inside Shorty's, two you stay right next to me at all times, it's dangerous inside. Three no causing trouble of any kind including pinching, grouping or instigating any bar brawls." She thought about it for a few moments.

"Your no fun." She crossed her arms. "Deal."

We parked in the lot and I got out so she could change her clothes. After 10 minutes she finally got out. She was wearing a black blazer and black pants with her sneakers. I walked with her across the street and hoped it wasn't busy so no one would see me. I opened the door for her and noticed glitter writing on the back of her jacket. It said single and ready in pink and blue sparkles. I felt like I wanted to knock my head into a wall. I got behind her so no one would get a good luck and got us into a booth in the back. It was dark inside so hopefully no one noticed us.

"This place is great! There is even blood on our table, it's so exciting. Hmm I don't know what to get seems like pizza or sandwiches. Hmmm, what do you usually eat here?

"Pizza."

"Hmmm, I'll get a sandwich then and we can share." O brother.

The waitress came over and was looking at us strangely.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Chicken parm sandwich with extra sauce please."

"Pizza and a large pitcher of beer." I might as well have a drink for this.

"So big Tank, you needed to talk to me about my daughter, what's shaking?"

"In my research I discovered Helen became unable to have anymore children after Steph, did you know that?" She looked surprised.

"No I didn't. I just assumed carrying Steph was just too much for her to do it again. She was miserable and always so sick."

"Were you there the night Steph was born, did you know of any complications with your daughter or Steph?"

"No I didn't know she was born till late the next day. I was told the baby came in the middle of the night and by the time I arrived Stephanie was in the nursery and Helen and Frank were there holding her. I didn't hear about any complications other then Stephanie having to stay for an extra week to make sure she was ok. I took Val that week so they could focus on the new baby."

"What about before Steph was born? Anything unusual happen?" She looked like she was thinking.

"Nothing too unusual, around 6 months though Helen and Frank took a long vacation to Point Pleasant with Valerie. She was there a month, month and a half while Frank came home after a few weeks to go back to work, but then he'd go back up to be with them.

Frank's relative at the time had a place up there so they got a very good deal. I remember trying to get a hold of her during that time and she'd always be so busy and couldn't talk or Frank would make up an excuse that she was doing something. I just blamed it on pregnancy hormones but is there something I should know big guy? What does this have to do with Steph's kidnapping?"

"Nothing. I'm just trying to get the whole picture. There was a hospital bill for Steph's stay but not one for Helen at St Francis. The doctor's notes said there were no complications at the hospital with your daughter but months later another doctor noted she was unable to have more children due to complications from a former pregnancy. It doesn't make sense."

"I don't know what to tell you, she was fine up until around 6 months then I didn't see her much, but I saw her a few times when she got back and she seemed sad up until Steph was born. Pregnant women do weird things, it's a mystery. Do you want me to ask Helen about it?"

"Yes. But don't mention our conversation. Look through some of your photo albums from around that time and just ask her what happened while she was away and let me know what she says." Our food came and we started eating.

"I'll do it when I get home it might take an hour or so for me to call you. Do you want me to ask Frank too? He probably won't answer me."

"That's up to you." We finished eating and I took Mrs. Mazur home.

"I'm dropping you off a few houses down so they don't see the car."

"Hey Tank before I go, I'm hearing Morelli is definitely out of the picture with my baby granddaughter from Mrs. Morelli herself who talked to Joe. Steph is going to be lonely so if the sexy bounty hunter doesn't step up I think you should. You seem like a good man and I like you a lot." I started coughing and choking on air. Ranger would brutally and slowly kill me if I made a move on Steph. He made it very clear to all the men that she was his woman and not to mess with her.

"She is just a friend Edna, nothing more. Ever."

"Shame, she needs a good man in her corner." Edna got out of the car and I made sure she made it into the house safely then drove home to be with my three cats.

It's been two and a half hours since I dropped Edna off and my phone is buzzing with her cell number.

"Yo."

"She went ape shit and started asking me why. Said nothing happened around that time and got very defensive. She took a bottle of booze upstairs to her bedroom and locked the door. Frank's at the lodge playing cards."

"Got it. Night Mrs. Mazur." That seems like a strong reaction to a simple question. What is Helen Plum hiding? I need to think this over, make up a information board with all the facts and maybe bring in an outside eye. Maybe I'm too close to the situation to see what's in front of me. I turned on the tv in my living room and rested my eyes listening to the local news.

RPOV

Babe is always a little hesitant when she learns new things but she picked up tracking and tailing quickly. It made me really proud of her that she was asking for my help. She told me I could pick our next location now that lunch is over and I'm going to surprise her by taking her to a gym for her first self defense class. I parked the car and got out.

"Um where are we?"

"A gym."

"Ugh. You could picked anywhere in Greece to go and you pick a gym. I hate running. I only run when my pants get too tight and they aren't even a little snug."

"Self defense lessons. I have clothes for you in my bag. Come on."

I grabbed her hand and walked us up to the reception. I spoke to the woman in Greek and paid to get us a private room with mats and no exposed windows. I walked Babe to the bathroom and checked it out before she changed. Then I walked us over to the room.

"Aren't you going to change?"

"I will inside, start stretching."

"I shouldn't have eaten first. If I throw up on you, you can only blame yourself, although it won't be a first time for you." She started giggling. I took off my jeans and exchanged them for basketball shorts and left off my shoes.

"Ok let's work on holds, front, back, sideways and while your laying on the ground. I'm going to grab you and walk you through each way to get out of them. I'm not wearing a cup so do not use your lethal knee on me yet."

"I'd never damage one of my favorite things about you Higgins." Good to know.

We worked on holds for an hour then basics of punching and kicking, how to avoid being strangled, and where to effectively hit someone for maximum pain. At the end of three hours Babe was sore.

"Let's go home, I'll make dinner and rub you down after you shower. You did good Babe proud of you." I kissed her on the lips and walked her back to the car.

"Fine but I'm picking the movie tonight. I probably won't be able to walk tomorrow, my muscles hurt so much."

When we got home Babe moaned her way to the shower and then ate dinner with me on the couch to "Beverly Hills Ninja". As promised I gave her a full body rub down before putting her in bed. I stayed up a few more hours and did a small work out in the living room before I got into bed to hold Babe. It always amazes me how peaceful she looks while sleeping no matter what is going on in her life.


	12. Chapter 12

SPOV

It's been over a week since we went to the fortress. The days were filled with more self defense lessons, range shooting, and practice reading people among the various tourist places and the beach. Thankfully we haven't kidnapped and interrogated anyone yet.

Tomorrow morning Ranger has to make the call to see if we will go home so this maybe the last day in Crete. Over the last week I tried to fit in the highlights of the island in case I never got a chance to come back, but it's barely the surface of where I wanted to go. Among my favorite spots had to be the Aquaworld Aquarium, the open air museum and old Venetian Harbor.

Ranger seemed to like the Herakleion Archaeological museum, the natural history Museum of Crete, and the Holy Trinity Monastery. He is always trying to work on his Karma and I think by visiting there he received a little peace. We went to a few other places but they were no match to our favorites so far. I've been very vigilant with taking my gun everywhere with me and if I don't screw up today then I get to ask Ranger three questions tomorrow.

The plan today is to make sure the place is clean and then we can go out for the day. If Ranger gets the code to return home then we will have to leave within a few hours. Part of me misses Trenton. I miss the pineapple upside down cake, the Boston cremes, the jelly donuts, most of Pino's menu and of course my hamster son Rex. I also kinda miss Lula's loud voice or Grandma Mazur causing trouble at the funeral home.

I miss my Mom's cooking and her doing my laundry but not the constant phone calls. I know I'm increasing my debts by Rangeman covering my living expenses while away and I'll have to work extra hard when I get back, probably picking up a second job but at the same time I hope we don't go home tomorrow. My birthday is in a few weeks and I was hoping to see Athens or maybe go to Italy.

I'm sure Ranger wants to go home, he has a business and a life to get back too, but I don't want our fake marriage to end. I've never been happier and he is very easy to live with. I know I'm more of a slob with my closet side but I try to be conscious of when it gets out of control, but he never has made a comment. His training is helping me too. I'm starting to feel more confident in how I approach people and I think it will improve my captures so I don't roll around in garbage as much.

I even distracted Ranger enough with my boobs to knock him down once. Right now I'm folding laundry and trying to decide if I can take anything back with me. I think my suitcase will be just full of shoes and that rain coat from Paris. Ranger told me I could take anything I want with me as long as it doesn't lead anyone back to Greece, so those clothes and shoes I put on one side of the closet and thankfully it wasn't too many. I think the best plan is to stay local today so we aren't exhausted if we have to leave tomorrow.

"Everything is looking clean, what do you want to do today?"

"Simple stuff, let's make up most of the stuff in the fridge for lunch and eat on the beach and then we can go out to dinner tonight. Then come home and relax with a book tonight or a movie."

"Sounds good." Ranger sat down with me and helped me fold the last of the laundry to put away."

"It's still a mind trip for me to see you so domestic at times, you once told me you didn't have many domestic instincts."

"I didn't always have Ella and I do have to fend for myself on the weekends when she is off."

"Who cooks for you and the men on the weekends?"

"She prepares things on Friday that just need to be reheated or put out Saturday and Sunday. And she leaves me things in my freezer or fridge too."

"She is a goddess." I started to get my bikini on, grabbed my beach bag, towel and water. Ranger was shirtless in his swim trunks grabbing everything out of the fridge.

He started cutting and chopping vegetables for a salad and sandwiches, while I started preparing the fruit to go with us. Ranger cooked up the rest of the rice and meat with some kind of dressing and then put everything in a large shopping bag to take with us. All we needed was forks, more water and napkins. I ran to grab our hats, sunglasses and my sun screen.

"I'm jealous you tan so much and I burn. I seem to be getting darker but I still get touches of pink in places." Ranger smiled at me.

"I'll be sure to pay close attention when I rub the lotion on you while your topless at the beach."

"Hmm are you going to go commando yourself and start a riot today?"

"No. The bathing suit is for your protection. If we're both naked we'll start a show and be arrested because I'll probably take you right on the beach. Jail is not in my plans today." I was getting really turned on by that thought. I put my arms around his neck and got close to his lips.

"Maybe I'll let you take me deep in the water."

"Playing with fire Babe." Ranger kissed me deeply and gave me a playful swat on my ass. "Let's go before I don't let us leave for the rest of the night."

Tank POV

In over a week Silvio hasn't found much. Edna called me back a few days later after our dinner at Shorty's saying she was fighting with Frank and Helen Plum about staying out of there business. She said both of them have said nothing happened during that time and are not speaking to her.

She has decided to move into Steph's apartment while she is away but couldn't get in. I sent Manuel to get her and help her break into Steph's place. I had a key made up for her as well and informed Dillon. He seemed fine with it and promised to keep on eye on her.

Last I heard Edna was making friends with all the residents and having a bunch of parties at Steph's place. Edna told me she has never been happier and gets rides with different neighbors to the grocery store and funeral home. She was concerned at first with paying the rent but when I told her all the bills were covered while Steph was away she was pleased to stay and look after the place.

Binkie eventually got the Bank manager's key and I opened an account with a box in my name to access Frank Plum's box in the vault. The manger showed me my box and helped me remove it then left the room. Security wasn't very high here and there wasn't a camera in the vault room so I left my box on the table and found Frank's. I used both Keys and removed the box. Inside I found birth certificates, wedding certificates, deeds, will's, life and home insurance policies, divorce certificates from Valerie and Steph but nothing more.

I took pictures of everything and then secured the box back into place. At this point I was frustrated. I thought I would find something in this box. We had been following Frank Plum for a month and nothing was coming out of that time. The phone taps were just more gossip and other then Valerie being pregnant again with her fifth child and making Albert Kloughn get a vasectomy, the information wasn't panning out.

A few days after that I created an information board in one of the smaller conference rooms and put up everything I had. Pictures, times and dates I received information with the coordinating information. I didn't use real names because I didn't want anyone looking at the board to be skewed in there thinking. Anytime any Rangeman has had to work with Steph or deal with anything relating to her, the men get weary in making decisions for fear to piss off Ranger.

So I just used initials for everyone involved. I mapped up two zones one for Steph's disappearance and the second for Helen Plum's medical history with Steph's initials in the middle connecting the two.

I had a few men come in and look over the information. None of them had any good theories. I brought in Rodriquez. He mostly worked in sales but he had an out of the box mind at times and was known for seeing small details. Ella dropped off some papers for me to sign and noticed the board.

"Hard case?"

"Yeah we're missing something."

"Mind if I take a look?" I shook my head no. I started signing off on the purchases for the month, looked over the estimate for next month and new vendors she wanted to use for our clothing and supplies. I heard Ella say something."

"What did you say?"

"O... I was just thinking out loud. What makes you think the child born belongs to the mother other then a birth certificate and hospital bill for the child? There is missing time here for the mother before the birth."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know it just seems unusual. There is a medical problem but no record from the mother receiving it. When my sister had a baby she went to the doctor every month, more as it got closer to the due date and I don't see any doctor's notes from 6 months on until after a month the baby was born. Usually new mother's get a 6 week check up to be signed off for activity, I don't see that.

She could have went to a different doctor during that time but it doesn't make sense when the notes show the complications were noted by her doctor from the beginning of the pregnancy. If she didn't like him, she wouldn't have gone back to him if she chose a new doctor. I know I wouldn't."

I had how many people look at this board and not one of them thought of this. This is why we need more women on staff when Steph was unavailable to take a look.

"Your right Ella we don't know. Do you see anything else?"

"No. But let me know when you solve your mystery, I love a good story. Bye Boys. I left some stew in the break room and I think it's my best by far. Let me know what you think." I need to tell Ranger to give her a raise. She is worth every penny. I let it sink it. Steph may not be the biological child of Helen and Frank Plum. Damn. I'm betting she doesn't know and would freak out on everyone if she found out.

Why wasn't there adoption records then or a trail of where Steph came from? I need to check everyone's DNA to be sure of Ella's theory. I'll stop by Valerie's house tonight pretending to check on her and her family for Steph. I'll say Steph wanted to make sure everyone was ok because was out of town on assignment and asked me to. I'll pretend to use the bathroom then take some hairs from her brush. I'll also have to go to Grandma Mazur's and hope she isn't home so I can grab Steph's hair from her brush.

I'll send Hal to the Plum's and grab hairs from there brushes as well since he has been Frank Plum's shadow. DNA matching will take up to 24 to 48 hours so hopefully I'll have my answer by then. This is so messed up. I just wanted to know how Frank knew about his daughter and now I might have discovered Steph isn't really there daughter. Maybe once I find out the truth after the DNA test I can sit down with them and make them a deal. I'll let them know what I know and ask for the truth. Maybe he will just come clean at that point for fear I out them. I'd never black mail them but they don't know that.

I sat at the table and rubbed my hands over my face a few times. Tomorrow Ranger checks in and hopeful will be home to take this mess off my hands. He can decide if Steph needs to know or not. I haven't heard from Connie so I guess those three names from Philly and New York have been working out for her for now but I'm curious for how long. The money isn't enough to keep them interested for long, it was more for them to have some fun for a while.

RPOV

Tomorrow I have to call in to see if we go home. A part of me wants to go back to Trenton, catch up on work and the other part of me wants to stay here with Steph. She has really stepped up with trying to better herself and I feel like she wouldn't have bothered to ask me if we were back home for fear I'd say no.

She has also surprised me that she is willing to try so many new things and travel all over Greece. I'm actually enjoying seeing the sights with her and watching her experience different food. It doesn't hurt that we have sex constantly either. In the past I've thought about what it would be like to be married to her, but it has been even better. She thinks she is hard to live with because of what Morelli has told her, but she isn't.

She is just at times disorganized. Usually when we have sex in Trenton we wake up the next day and go on with our lives. We usually eat breakfast and work together but I like waking up with her and spending time with her, that I don't know how we would go back to the way it was before. I still don't know if she wants to get back to Morelli. She hasn't mentioned him and I haven't seen her suffer any guilt.

Spending so much time with her makes me want to put marriage back on my bucket list even though I've taken it off and on many times, most recently off because of the danger my life puts Steph's in, but maybe we can date when we return. Date. That seems so high school. I haven't dated since high school. I think whenever we get on that plane home is when we will have to have this conversation. I don't want to ruin our time together if we are here for another month.

"How is this spot? We're further out then before but there are still some people about 80 feet away."

"Looks good Babe." She smiles at me and throws down a blanket and starts unloading our lunch bag. She plops down and starts rubbing lotion on her legs. I take the bottle and takeover. I want my hands on her as much as I can because tomorrow might be a crappy day for the both of us after we talk, if we talk.

SPOV

I started to lotion my legs and Ranger came to take over. He would rub a little and continue to look around. Luckily mostly everyone was nude so he didn't seem concerned about any hidden weapons. A lot of the women on the beach took notice of Ranger but he didn't give them more then a glance. He flipped me over and straddled me.

He untied my bikini top then worked on my entire back and arms. It felt so good the way he rubbed his fingers and palms in small circles all over my body. He flipped me over again and then rubbed my thighs and just around the edge of my bikini bottoms slowly. I was getting very turned on and by the looks of Ranger's swim trunks so was he.

He moved up my stomach making sure inside my belly button wasn't missed and then around my breasts. My nipples were hard pebbles and Ranger was giving me a big smile. He finished my arms and then got off me. I decided to return the favor and straddled him while I fed him pieces of fruit. Sometimes some of the fruit juice would spill down his chin and chest so I would lick it off. We fed each other lunch and then Ranger picked me up and placed me over his shoulder and ran me into the water.

He walked us deep into the ocean where I could barely reach the bottom but he still could stand. He checked out the beach and positioned himself towards the shore to see the view of everyone. There wasn't anyone remotely around us so I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him. He kissed me back just as fiercely.

One of his hands was on my back moving down to my ass while the other was in my hair. When I was running out of breath I started to lightly kiss and suck on his neck. I could feel Ranger grind into me so I slipped my hand down to massage him. He groaned.

"Your being bad Babe. If you keep playing with fire you will get burned."

I whispered into his ear "I want you" while I kissed and sucked his earlobe. He crashed his mouth back into mine and used his tongue to rub against mine.

"We have to be quiet, no screaming and keep your whole body under the water except for your head."

He sunk lower into the water and from the shore it looked like we were just embracing and kissing when it was much hotter. Ranger took off my bottoms and placed it in his swim trunks pocket and then opened his Velcro slit down the front of his bathing suit trunks while they were still tied around his waist. I sunk down onto him and moved my hips while he pulled me into him deeper. I tightened my legs around his ass and we just kept kissing the whole time. Just when I felt like I was going to see stars I hid my mouth and face into his neck to muffle myself. Ranger hugged me closer and moaned a little into my ear as he came. He was still inside me when I looked into his eyes.

"Don't stop, I want to remember this for the rest of my life, please don't stop." I started moving my hips again, feeling him thicken again. He kissed my necks and shoulders, pinched and rubbed my breasts until we shattered together again. Eventually Ranger put my bottoms back on and I got on Ranger's back while he just floated around in the water. We didn't talk we just floated until the sun started to set. We got back onto the beach and watched the sunset. It was one of the most romantic days of my life and I never wanted it to end.

"Dinner out? I heard some people at the bakery yesterday talk about a new place a few blocks from the house. They said there was entertainment too, can we go there?"

Ranger just kissed my forehead and helped me get off the blanket and clean up. We showered together but we just washed ourselves and enjoyed our time together. Ranger's washing was a bit more extensive then mine but we eventually got clean and dressed to go out. While he takes 10 minutes to get ready, I need at least a good hour. I picked one of my new dresses from Spain that was cut very low in the back but the skirt fanned out if I spin really fast. I threw on some of my more risque panties for the evening that Ranger could enjoy later tonight.

I paired it with a pair of pumps and a matching clutch and checked my hair. It was a warm day so I decided to place it in a simple up do with just a basic clip. When I went to find Ranger he was in the living room reading. He saw me and got up and gave me a sweet kiss. "Breath taking Babe."

"Thanks Batman." Even after all these weeks he still leaves me breathless. He was in a nice dress shirt and slacks that should be illegal, he looked good.

We walked a few blocks and after a few wrong turns found the place. It was definitely a younger crowd and lively, it made Ranger a little leery.

"Come on Batman, there is suppose to be entertainment and good food, its the perfect night for us." I grabbed his hand and spoke to the waiter in my poorly learned Greek that Ranger was trying to teach me as well as Rosetta Stone Cd's I listen to at night sometimes.

Mostly I could order food now or ask for a table, along with please and thank you. Otherwise I was lost. We were in luck to secure a table next to the wall and Ranger took his watch position. Since this might be our last night I ordered us a few appetizers and some ice teas and then Ranger's customary salad and my lasagna that wasn't really lasagna. Ranger let me practice my Greek and the waiter was really patient and great with me.

I started to hear some singing from the stage and realized we were in a karaoke restaurant. Ranger's eyebrows shot up and then he had his patent blank face on. While I had the biggest smile imaginable.

"You should sing! I'd love to hear you sing!" Ranger just shook his head no.

"Please, I bet your fine, no one here is a professional, it's just for fun."

"No."

Most of the people were decent, a few really bad ones and you could see this really wasn't Ranger's scene. I have never seen him so uncomfortable it was actually making my evening more enjoyable. At one point the list of people stopped and the host would just pick random people from tables to go up and sing. By then we were only just finishing our appetizers and hadn't had our entrees yet or dessert. I could see Ranger getting more uncomfortable. Anytime the guy came remotely near Ranger he'd give him a glare. To the host's credit he ignored him mostly.

We had just taken a few bites of our dinner when I felt Ranger tense. The host was inviting him up to sing and Ranger just said No and shook his head while glaring. The host started to try and convince him and get the rest of the restaurant involved too by cheering and clapping for him to go up.

I started uncontrollably laughing and trying to nudge him up. He turned his glare to me and shook his head. After a few minutes I just took the microphone and went up. I didn't get to pick the song so I just looked at the screen. Gnarls Barkley "Crazy" O I know this one!

I started singing with the music and following the screen with the lyrics that would tell me the cues but I knew most of the words already, so I just started singing out to the audience. Some people were singing along and dancing while I shook my butt to the beat and occasionally my shoulders too. I sang to Ranger at times and pointed to him when I sang "maybe I'm crazy, maybe your crazy, probably." I had the biggest smile on my face while he just kept searching for people in the crowd to attack me but focused on the stage at times and seemed surprised I could sing.

He even had a grin at times when I would point to him. After the song ended I took my bow and walked back to the table. People gave me high fives and pats on the back and told me they loved my voice. I felt Ranger come up next to me and get me back to the table to finish eating.

"You were amazing Babe. I was surprised, I never heard you sing before not even in the shower."

"I usually sing in the car alone only. Thanks. You should go up, we can sing together." He made a uncomfortable face.

"No." I started laughing at him.

"It's fun, I haven't karaoke since College at Rutgers. There use to be contests for the best singer and you'd get a gift card for food and drinks. I didn't win too often but I did on occasion." We finished eating and had a small dessert of ice cream, well I ate the ice cream and Ranger would kiss me to have some too. It was really a fun night. Ranger walked us back home and carried me into the bedroom once we got in the front door after he set the alarm.

Ranger took his clothes off and removed mine. We made love to each other like it was our last night on this earth. Over and over until we saw the sun come up.

I felt the bed dip hours later and Ranger coming back into bed. He took me into his arms and kissed my head.

"Go back to sleep Babe, I made the call we aren't going anywhere yet." Inside I was jumping up and down and cheering. I didn't want my time with Ranger to end.

"Are you happy about that Carlos?"

"Yes. I like being here with you. It feels like a vacation although it's work. I don't vacation often."

"Are you happy to be here or are you missing home?"

"No I love it here. I was hoping to still be here for my birthday. I'm thinking Rome or Athens." Ranger lightly kissed me on the lips.

"Anywhere you want." And then we went back to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

SPOV

"You slept in." I checked the clock it was around 11 am. And we were both still naked under our sheet holding each other.

"We were up all night. What do you want to do today?"

"We need to food shop and then I just want to watch a series or a comedy special. I think we're the only two people left who haven't seen Game of Thrones."

"Tank watches it he seems to like it."

"You know I have earned my three questions. Are you ready for them?"

"Shoot."

"How is Julie doing, you haven't mentioned her in a long time." I saw a flash of something pass his face but it was gone before I could figure it out.

"She's fine. Since Scrog she has been in therapy with no lasting effects thankfully. She thinks she wants to be a therapist one day. She has become more curious about me and asks me questions more then usual but we mostly talk on the phone once in a while. Rachel hasn't invited me up as much to see her like in the past. Julie and the rest of her siblings now have Rangeman body guards every day per Rachel's request.

"You probably don't know this, but when you were shot she called you her father and wouldn't let anyone take her away and rode with you to the hospital. She held your hand the whole time. She is a lot like you and not in looks but she is strong and brave like you." Ranger just gave a small nod. He seemed like he didn't really want to talk about this.

"What's up with you and Morelli?" I really didn't want to talk about him.

"It's a long story, the short version is we broke up a month before I was taken but the night before I was kidnapped we had a talk and he wants the house, kids and a wife who cooks and cleans. Not this second but that's his end goal and he doesn't know what mine is and he wanted to date other people till I figured it out. He hates my life and job too and he can't take it anymore. So I wished him luck and it's for the best.

We wanted completely different things and I don't want to be cursed by Grandma Bella either for the rest of my life. It's permanently over. I can't go back to it. Someone once told me it was an unhealthy pattern of a relationship and it was." I saw Ranger had a small smile on his face. It was his words.

"Is their anything you can tell me about Rose's file or who were running from that I don't already know?"

"Classified. Pass."

"What does your family do for work?"

"My father Ricardo is a mechanic, my mother Blanca was a nurse now semi retired. My brother Anton is the youngest and an architect in New York, divorced with two kids. And you know I have three sister's, Celia the oldest, Esmeralda then Isabel. Celia has four children and is a stay at home mom. Esmeralda is a teacher with three kids, and Isabel is a surgical intern with one child, then me."

"Have you figured out what you want? Is that why you and Morelli are permanently over?"

"I don't have anything set in stone but I want to be able to be a bounty hunter for as long as I can until I hate it or find something else I like more. I don't want to live in the burg or have a bunch of kids, maybe one day a long time down the road I might have one child but not anytime soon.

I don't want to be a stay at home wife or mother and I don't even know if I ever want to get married again. I didn't like it the first time. I may want a dog in the future too but not like Bob a well trained one. Rex is good for me for now, he is low maintenance. What I want most is some one who is faithful and honest with me about the things in our relationship and wants to be my companion with out trying to change me." Ranger kissed my forehead.

"Before we came to Greece you sent me a lot of mix signals, you'd say one thing and act differently or throw a qualifier on the end, why?" Ranger looked like he was raging a war in his mind what to say. I just gave him time to figure it out. I don't know why I asked him this, yeah I really wanted to know but at the same time this could backfire and cause our situation to become really uncomfortable.

"Babe you know I care about you, and you know your under my skin. I'd want to be with you if it wasn't for my enemies coming out of the woods so much putting you in danger. I still have a contract with less then a year left and I'm undecided if I am resigning for another three years. I might not make it home one day. I don't want to hurt you."

"That's complete bullshit. I have had much more enemies come after me and mine are local. You've had three and Scrog was just a crazy like one of mine you can't blame yourself for that. Orin was sick. That wasn't your fault either, you would have helped him if he hadn't faked his death, I know you would have. And Vlatko was a terrorist. You can't control what people do. You can't worry about me being in danger because of you. I stumble into it without any help on either of our parts look where we are right now.

I could die tomorrow in a car accident or be killed by one of my FTA's same as you. So don't hide behind the danger of something possibly happening because its utter bullshit! As far as your contract you should do what makes you happy, if working for the government makes you happy then I'd never stop you, just like I know you wouldn't interfere with what makes me happy." Ranger was thinking internally again, we just laid in bed for several quiet moments.

"Would you make compromises to be with me knowing we may not have forever together? And before you answer I mean never ditching your trackers ever just because you need to be alone, always wearing one, carrying panic buttons at all times, willing to continue training and carrying your gun loaded. Having a bodyguard when your in danger and not trying to lose them when someone from my past is a threat. Are you willing to be in a safe house if the situation is extreme and calls for it?

I know you Babe. You like your independence but I can't be with someone, link my name to them unless I know every precaution to ensure there safety was taken because if you thought a few enemies showed up when we weren't even together, being official with me would make you a large target and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you because of me.

You shouldn't answer me now. I want you to take the day and really think about what that would mean to your life, the changes it would cause. You could still keep your apartment but I'd prefer we lived together because we both work odd hours, but I'd want you safe. I'd like to install a security system so I know your safe at your apartment when you are there." He kissed my forehead and went into the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on and I just stayed there frozen. Was he seriously talking about commitment with me? I jumped out of bed and ran naked to the shower and opened the door and started talking to him. He just pulled me inside.

"What does that mean? You'd consider a relationship if we compromised on my safety? Like an exclusive relationship where we lived together and we're only with each other?" I looked at him wide eyed.

"That is the definition of a relationship. Exclusive rights to the other. No poaching from anyone else."

"Isn't that a little hypocritical? You poached a lot."

"You wouldn't have let me if you were truly happy with Morelli, we both know that. And if he really loved you as much as he said he did he would have tried to stop me or intervene to make me stay away from you." I had a sad thought all of a sudden.

"What happens if we try and we don't work. Your one of my best friends I don't want to lose you. I don't have a great track record with relationships. I'm a runner. I get scared or angry and I run, it's my go to."

"If we didn't work we'd always be in each others lives, I never want to lose you. I haven't been in a relationship since high school so my track record isn't good either and when you feel angry or scared you need to talk to me instead of running first. Despite what you think I can't always read your mind. If you tell me you need space I will give it to you as long as your safety isn't compromised. And we have been living together for a month so far without any major issues.

But if we have a disagreement and I see Morelli making moves on you it won't be pretty if your my woman." Hearing him call me his woman would usually spur on indignation, I'm my own woman, but feeling claimed by him also warmed my heart. I wanted him to be mine as much as me his.

"You need to think about the compromises I proposed though. It's a lot to be with me. I'm not an easy man to be with. I can't tell you a lot of things about my past or work. I won't be always home for dinner on time. I could miss holidays or anniversaries. I might have to leave at the drop of the hat. But when I come back I would make up for the things I missed. I've seen wives time and time again say they can handle this life and then they hold a grudge for the missed time, holidays, cheat on their spouses or just get fed up and leave. It's another reason I didn't tie myself to anyone, I didn't want to hurt that person by my life. It's going to be a lot of trust on both of our parts.

My company takes a lot of time as well. Having two offices to maintain and make sure those men's lively hood is secure. I could be called to a break in at anytime of night. I feel like all I could offer you is my commitment, trust and fidelity and anytime I'm not working or in the wind my time but I can't always tell you everything. Tank and I share responsibilities and I'm usually done work around six then do some work in my office at night but it wouldn't be an easy life with me. It won't be routine with a set schedule."

"I feel like your trying to warn me off and I understand you want me to come in with eyes wide open so I'm not surprised, so let me think about everything." We continued to shower together and then got out.

"We need to food shop before anything else today." I just nodded my head and got dressed. I didn't have the energy to do my hair so I brushed it and threw it in a bun and put a baseball hat on my head. I grabbed our shopping bags and walked with Ranger to the market.

I thought about our conversation, the compromises I'd have to make. Living together wouldn't be a hard ship I'd have Ella to do the cooking and help me clean and the alarm system would be for his peace of mind while I'm at the apartment. I'm already doing self defense lessons so that wouldn't be a big change and I'm already carrying my gun even though it's not loaded. I am starting to feel a little more comfortable with Ranger making me practice though.

I know he works a lot and gets calls at all odd hours I've lived with him at Rangeman before and that never bothered me, I have my own life and friends and work, I'm not needy like a lot of women. Joe worked all the time and I was fine with that. The wind I'm use to, he almost always tell me when he is leaving and lets me know Tank is available so that isn't a huge change. Morelli poaching won't be an issue, I wouldn't want to give him mix messages when it comes to our hopeful friendship one day.

I know I have a ton of time with Ranger now but I won't always have his time exclusively. I usually spend holidays with my family anyway so I wouldn't be alone even if Ranger was in the wind. And I get a body guard anyway when there is danger. Although I think it's annoying sometimes I'm very thankful they are with me most of the time so that would be the really only downside to being with Ranger. That and a safe house but if the safe houses are like Greece and not the cabin and it was an extreme threat then I wouldn't mind.

The upside is I get to be with Ranger. He treats me well and takes care of me and doesn't want to change me. Being with him would make me a target but I'm already a target without him even being involved with this mess I'm in right now. I hate not knowing the full situation but I know he won't budge. There is no point in annoying him and pissing us both off in the process. I need more time to process but I think I am going to be in a relationship with Ranger before the night ends and that excites me in ways I never felt before. I hoped this day would eventually come but I didn't want to be disappointed if it never did.

We pick out a lot of different items, meats, fish, vegetables, fruit, some pasta, grains, more yogurt, granola, bread, butter and went to check out. We walk home and unloaded our purchases together. He started making eggs in a basket and I watch in fascination. I've never had it before. Mine is a whole egg thank goodness and Ranger's is a egg white. It seems simple enough, cooking spray, bread with a whole in the middle, crack egg, a little salt and pepper and flip to the other side. I cut fresh fruit while I watched him.

"This is good I've never had eggs this way."

"Tank made this for me a few times, it saves time." We finished up breakfast and cleaned up. My body was sore from last night so Ranger and I cuddled together on the couch and watched Game of Thrones.

"I'm told this is based off some book and Lula and Connie talk about it all the time and occasionally act it out when they drink." Ranger found that amusing and started to play with my hair.

Ranger and I watched several episodes and it was pretty good. The story had magic and suspense and some really sexy scenes. I started to really dig Drogo. He wasn't as hot as Ranger but he wasn't ugly either.

"Should I be jealous Babe?" And he gave me a playful smile.

"No I'm sure you can take him and your sexier." I gave him a small kiss that turned into a makeup session on the couch. If I was on the edge about whether to be with Ranger or not his kissing would pull me over to his side. He was the best kisser and lover I ever had and no matter the time we had together it would be worth it.

RPOV

I was nervous about laying all my fears and compromises on the table for Babe. She is unpredictable, she could have taken the conversation many ways. I took her thinking as a good sign and was glad to hear Morelli was out of the picture. Although I own my own business, many things can not be delegated but some could. I could give Tank more responsibilities or promote another supervisor under Tank to take some of the work load if I needed to spend more time with Babe.

If we made the effort for a relationship then I was going to make sure I spent as much time as I could with her. When I checked in with the Miami offices and did reviews, I was hoping to bring Babe along too. Maybe show her where I grew up. I felt like I was asking a lot of her in the compromises and she may just turn around and tell me to go to hell but I worry about her safety and I want a long life with her.

I've been thinking about my contract. I know Babe said it didn't matter if I continued with a new contract but if things went well with us I think I wouldn't. I'd miss the money and adrenalin rush, but I now make plenty off Rangeman and Babe's mishaps give me plenty of adrenaline.

Even with all the training and carrying a gun, strange and unexplained things happen to Steph and her cars. I know life with her will always be interesting and I wouldn't change that. I didn't want a wife sitting at home waiting for me. Rachel in the beginning after she found out she was pregnant tried to make us into that.

She wanted us to get married and get to know each other and be a family. Her dream was for me to get out of the army as soon as my commitment ended, find a civilian job and buy us a house. She wanted to know everything about me and start opening up to her emotionally. When I told her that wasn't going to happen and that we'd only marry to give the baby my name, military benefits and a portion of my salary to support the baby, she was not happy with me for a long time.

She was a good catholic girl that wanted the happy family. I had just got into the Ranger's and wasn't going to give up my dream but I also wasn't going to give up my responsibility to my daughter. After she was born we divorced. At the time Rachel accepted it and sent me back the papers since I had not made the effort to be with her in anyway, physically or emotionally. Eventually Ron came into the picture and Rachel married him. I'd seen Julie over the years a handful of times but she called Ron Daddy and me Ranger.

When they asked for Ron to adopt Julie, I thought how she deserved two willing and able parents to love and take care of her so I allowed the adoption after I met him and checked out his background. I gave up my rights as well because I didn't want anyone to connect me to a child. It would have made her a target because my missions were getting more dangerous over time. I still made sure to send child support and gifts to her even though I didn't have to. I still felt responsible for her well being and the money ensured Rachel would let me see Julie when she would invite me to visit even though I had no more legal rights.

Rachel and my relationship grew into a friendship over the years and has only recently become troubled after Scrog. It wasn't as if she said she blamed me, but I felt deep down she did because my stalker took Julie. I tried to make it right by paying for therapy for the whole family, assigning bodyguards, anything to make them whole again and while my efforts helped, Rachel didn't reach out to me as much to come see Julie, probably fearing I'd be followed again.

Julie has become curious about me though and of Stephanie. She asks me a lot of questions about her and myself when she calls, sometimes just to check in. That was the only positive thing that came out of the incident. I heard Babe say she may not even want to get married again and I'm on the fence myself. I always thought she wanted the burg life which is why I kept my distance from her, but to tell me she didn't want that, surprised me a little. She said she may want a baby one day but I'm on the fence about that too.

Seeing what Julie and Rachel went through in her kidnapping was painful. I could only imagine what would have happened if it was Steph and my child and how that would make me feel. I don't feel like it's safe to bring another child of mine in the world but I am also curious what it would look life if Steph and I did. I'm not a family man right now. I carry two guns and a knife. I live in a security building and I have a government contract, it doesn't scream stable.

Just sitting with Babe while we watch this show makes me imagine her pregnant with my child though and me touching her stomach. Babe would be beautiful. She seems to have a little thing for one of the characters because she pays attention a little more then the others. I like teasing her. I hope she agrees to us, but at the same time I don't want her hurt because of my choices and selfishness in wanting to be with her.

Babe got up to stretch her muscles and grab a snack after the episode ended.

"You disappear like smoke, how do you do that? Lula, Connie and I have ran a ton of background searches on you and nothing. Your address is an empty lot, I know all the cars are registered to Rangeman, and I had my cousin at the DMV run the vin's for me to the cars I borrow. And where do you get the id's from?"

"To disappear you need preparation. You need a go bag with clothes, food, cash, id's, weapons, a scanner for bugs, a prepaid phone and a car not linked to you. I know all three of you run my background a lot. I get an alert every time you do." Babe face started to blush a deep red, "O Shit." I gave her a kiss.

"My address is an empty lot because I don't want everyone to know where I live for my own safety. The cars are all registered to Rangeman because the insurance rate is better and it doesn't lead back to me personally. The id's are made by someone at Rangeman with full backgrounds and histories attached to them. They are also linked up to real bank accounts and credit cards. And my background was erased and monitored by Hector and Silvio, although when I go to the doctor or pay for something I use a different id or my Rangeman credit card because we are a private business and those records are not easily released that pin points directly back to me."

"So if I wanted to lower my profile in Trenton when I get back, I should what? Change my address to a PO box or an empty lot, get a second phone and only give that number to people important or that I actually want to talk to, while saving my other number for everyone else and what else?"

"Move would be a good start so people don't know where to find you. The PO box is smart, the second phone, but maybe putting your car in another name. I can have your records erased. It would take time but I could, however if you tried to apply for a job or credit in your name nothing would exist. It would make it harder for you to change occupations. You couldn't make purchases or pay bills in your own name or go to the doctor in your name. Instead you'd have to use another id and people couldn't know you were using it or who you really are. You'd have to make purchases outside of Trenton where no one knows the difference, otherwise if someone knew the name you were using they would track you. You could still make purchases in Trenton but it would have to be in cash only."

"That sounds like a pain in the ass and a lot of work."

"It is. But it keeps me safe so I find it is worth it. If you decide one day to do this, I will help you. If you don't, its up to you."

"I can't believe Silvio didn't teach me anything like that. We spent a whole day on researching and the phone."

"Babe." Ranger just pulled me closer to him.

"I have some questions about the safe houses in the future if there is an extreme threat. Are they going to be like the cabin or like here."

"Here is our secret place, you would only come here with me or alone. I have many safe house outsides of New Jersey that are equipped with more stuff then the cabin and depending on the threat you could move around with a guard. Miami has a beach so it would be similar to here." She seemed satisfied with that answer.

"I've been thinking Batman and I know what you've warned me against and I understand your life, I'm not needy, I have my own things and friends but I have my own conditions. One Rex and I are a packaged deal, you don't need to do anything with him other then feed him snacks on occasion but he will be your new hamster son if you agree. Two if you cheat on me you will regret teaching me how to use a gun. Three you need to talk to me about any and all threats and work with me on the solution not order. Four you need to try and tell me more about yourself, nothing classified, your childhood for instances. What you tell me stays with me. Five if there is a threat and I get hurt you need to communicate too and not just run away from me and shut me out. Six when I run, because there is a good chance I could you need to be patient with me and work through it with me. Seven on occasion you will have to go to a family dinner with me, not often but once in a while. Can you handle all of that?" I nodded I really didn't want to go to her family dinners but once in a while was ok if I had to.

"Ok well then I guess your my boyfriend then. Wow that sounds strange." She kissed me.

"Are you sure about this Babe? Once we enter into this there is no turning back."

"We're going to do this Batman and it's going to be good." She sat in my lap and we kissed each other deeply. After three years we finally took the plunge and in that moment it felt right.


	14. Chapter 14

Tank POV

It's been two days and the hair samples have been collected and sent to the lab. I see in my email the results. I take a deep breath and click. Steph's DNA doesn't match either of her parents or her sister Valerie. Damn. At least I have something to talk to the Plum's about so I can find out what I really want to know. I checked my watch, it's lunch time they should both be home. I get into my SUV and drive over, park in front of there house and briskly walk to the door. The neighbors always look at me like I'm going to invade. I walk up to the door and ring the bell. Mrs. Plum comes to the door. She looks confused to see me.

"Can I help you, Stephanie isn't here. She is still out of town as far as I know. Unless has something happened, is she ok?"

"She's fine but we need to speak."

"Of course come in, are you hungry I just put lunch out, I have lunch meat from Giovanni's." When she turned I could smell the alcohol on her breath mixed with coffee. We sat at the dinning room table and Frank Plum just gave me a nod and continued to eat.

"Mr. Plum, Mrs. Plum, in my investigation I came across that Stephanie is not biologically your child." Helen Plum gasped and looked horrified and Frank Plum was finally looking at me and then glaring at his wife.

"Let's not pretend she is. I just want to know how Mr. Plum knew she was fine the day she was kidnapped." Frank looked at me and seemed angry. Then he looked at his wife who focused on the china cabinet like she needed another drink. Helen spoke up first.

"If we tell you no one can know about Stephanie! You can never tell her or anyone else!"

"That depends on what you tell me. It's probably best you start talking." I sat up straight and crossed my arms over my chest to make my size seem more intimidating, "did you steal her?" Frank Plum put his sandwich down and spoke.

"Of course not. I got a call on my cell, it was just a few seconds but he said Rose and hung up." What does that even mean?

"Explain." Helen Plum spoke up.

"We were pregnant with our second child around 4 or 5 months into my pregnancy, I got a call from someone I knew back when Frank was in the army. They had these socials sometimes for the wives, I made a few friends but didn't really keep in touch with anyone. Her name was Adelaide Wyndham. I think she was a nurse, I don't remember but we were friendly at the time, played cards together on occasion at these socials. She called one day and said that there was a baby possibly up for adoption that needed a good home and would be born around the time of our second child.

That this baby had no one and Adelaide wanted to find it two parents who were now civilians to raise the child and provide it a safe home. I told her we were expecting and not interested. Around 6 months we went away to Point Pleasant, Frank had family that owned a nice cottage to relax. I was very ill at the time and stressed taking care of Valerie and dealing with my symptoms. I had a fall, I didn't think it was a bad one, I didn't feel any different or have any pain. I was home alone at the cottage and Frank took Valerie out to the beach.

I took a nap and woke up to blood all over the sheets. I went to the clinic and we had lost the baby. I was devastated. I had complications from that pregnancy and later found out I couldn't have anymore children due to a severe infection."

I saw Frank look down at his plate not looking at his wife. I was watching her closely, she wasn't lying. " I stayed at the beach cottage for a long time, I was depressed and I didn't want anyone to know I lost our baby. After a few weeks Frank returned back to work but I stayed at the cottage with Valerie.

One day I called Adelaide wanting to know if the baby she had told me about was still available to adopt and she said it was and I told her I wanted the baby, so we agreed when it was born it would come to us with her birth certificate in our names. Both us of wanted to keep it a secret for our own reasons but I never asked for her reason, I didn't care, I just wanted that baby. I talked Frank into letting us keep her and asked him to pretend that Stephanie was the baby from the pregnancy. At first he didn't want to, I just wanted a baby so bad and we wouldn't have to go through a whole adoption process, she was just ours if we wanted her and I made sure the parents would not be interested in taking her back and I was assured that wouldn't happen.

I avoided everyone for the next few months saying I was sick or busy because of the baby and everyone believed me. Eventually we got a call in the middle of the night that Stephanie was born and we would have her soon and to go to St. Francis and meet a Dr. Copeland. Adelaide told me it was a baby girl and she was a month premature but overall healthy and just needed to be in observation for a week. We packed up Valerie and Frank and I went to the hospital to meet Stephanie. We just fell in love with her right away. She had big blue eyes and a lot of hair and Adelaide was there with a man. He said his name was Ethan. He didn't say anything else, he just gave us paperwork for Stephanie that said she was born at St. Francis and Dr. Copeland delivered her and we were her parents. Then he walked out. No one asked us any questions and just let us take Stephanie home after a week. We knew the adoption wasn't strictly legal so we were always concerned one day someone would take her from us. We never told anyone not even my mother. She had blue eyes like Frank and my blood type so I thought Stephanie would never know the truth. It wasn't until after she broke her arm she was about 6 years old and Ethan just showed up without any warning.

I was scared he was here to take her away from us, I didn't even want to let him in but Frank wanted to hear him out. He didn't seem like a friendly man and he asked to speak with us. He asked how Stephanie was and wanted to see a picture. He promised he wasn't there to take her, he just wanted to know she was ok because he knew her biological mother. He said she was a spitting image of her. Then Stephanie came barreling in the door and introduced herself to him and he was mesmerized by her. He was cold to everyone else but kind to her.

He didn't ask me if he could take her out to places but he asked Frank and Frank let him! We didn't know much about him and he just let him take her for ice cream. I was a mess the whole time."

"You saw him with her he wasn't going to hurt her, he took a genuine interest in her and I understand he just wanted to make sure she had a good life for his friend. It was for his piece of mind. He also left me his gold Rolex watch as a promise to return her every time he took her out. It was real and expensive, he was coming back for it and always told me exactly where he was taking her. Stephanie was a stubborn kid if she wanted to go out with him she was going no matter what we said." He started to eat his lunch again.

"We didn't even know his last name! Or anything about him! And you just let him take her!"

"Your being dramatic. She always came back and he never took her far and never hurt her once, she told me he was good to her."

"He continued to visit her over the years sometimes would send her these stupid notes with a wax seal on them. I tried to take them away from her when I would see them in the mail but she was quick at times and would refuse to tell me what they said. Ethan always called her Rose too and I always corrected him. He would never answer me when I asked him why he called her that. I asked him to no longer come around, I didn't want him in her life making her more wild then she was, but he's always returned every few years when he knew she was home and as soon as she saw him she would go off with him. He had the nerve to criticize my parenting of her, when he didn't even have children. We haven't heard from him since she was in high school thank God, I thought this whole mess was over."

"He called the night she disappeared and he said Rose and hung up. I knew it was him and she would be ok, she was always ok with him. I couldn't explain how I knew without telling you the whole story which Helen doesn't want anyone to know. Ethan was a private guy but not a guy you'd want to piss off."

"Do you have any pictures of him?"

"Of course not, why would I keep pictures of a man who had no respect for our family and just couldn't leave well enough alone." O brother.

"Can either of you describe him?"

"Rude, white, quiet, tall, blue eyes, short brown hair, I don't know, its been years. Stephanie would know better you should ask her."

"Tall, blue eyes, always wore a leather jacket."

"That's it? Any scars, tattoos? Did Valerie spend time with him, could she describe him any better? Do you have Adelaide's number still?"

"It's been a long time. I don't remember any and it was bad enough he gallivanted around with Stephanie I wasn't going to let Valerie around him. It's been 33 years I didn't keep her number but it was at Fort Dix when I meet her."

"I don't remember." Frank Plum was now eating his potato salad like we were discussing the weather.

"Your not going to tell anyone are you? I'll be mortified if this comes out, everyone will know we lied. This will upset Stephanie. What will the neighbors think?"

"Your so concerned about yourself, when you should have been concerned about your daughter. You lied to her, her whole life. Your damn right she will be upset. I have no intention of telling her at this time but I think you may want to tell her before she finds out some other way." Helen Plum looked upset and Frank Plum kept eating. I said at this time I wouldn't tell her but I didn't say I would never tell Steph.

"I told you Helen this would come out eventually, I'm surprised it took this long, I wanted to tell her from the start but you had a hissy fit."

"No one knows, and he won't say anything Frank, we need to just keep this quiet." I just shook my head. The only time your able to keep a secret between two people is if one of them is dead. Secrets eventually come out.

"Anything else I should know before I go?" They both shook their heads no and I walked out. Now I need to figure out where Steph came from, who Ethan is and if he was the one who took Steph and how Ranger found her. I expected to see her back home by now. My leads are Dr. Copeland and Adelaide Wyndham who may have been a nurse. I took out my phone and called Silvio.

"Forget the Helen Plum search I got my answer. Run Dr. Copeland St. Francis Hospital, Adelaide Wyndham possible nurse and see if their is any connection to any Ethan in there records as an associate or relative. Check Fort Dix for Adelaide to see if she was married to a solider or worked as a nurse on the base. She knew Helen Plum from a social club." I hung up.

I'm starting to get exhausted and a headache from the Plum's. I rubbed my hands up and down my face to clear my mind. I took out my phone and looked at the pictures of my cats, that always made me happy.

Maybe I need to adopt a new kitten. Suzy, Applepuff, and Miss Kitty are getting older and I've had my eye on a new breed, a solid black Selkirk Rex. Maybe I'll name him Gotham and when Ranger comes over I'll say "Batman Gotham needs you."

SPOV

"I think it's sweet you want me to live my dream but this seems like a really bad idea. I mean seriously with my luck the plane will crash or the chute wouldn't open. I don't think we should do this."

"Babe. They wouldn't let me pack the chute myself for safety reasons but I watched them do it, you'll be fine."

"How many times have you done this again? I don't see the reason to jump out of a perfectly good plane, I mean I get nervous flying, jumping out of one is way worse."

"It's just fear, you'll be fine once we're in the air. You just have to enjoy the ride. You'll be connected to me the entire time, just keep your arms crossed. You saw the video twice, you'll be fine."

Ranger checked my straps twice and we loaded into the plane. "Were you scared your first time." Ranger just lifted his shoulder in a non committal way.

"It was something I always wanted to try but Tank was scared shit less his first time. I had to kick him in the back of his legs then push him out because he wouldn't jump. He screamed the whole way down. And when I landed he tried to deck me for pushing him."

"You better not do that this time. I want to be told before we jump."

We started to take off in the small plane and I started praying we'd survive. I don't even know how I ended up here. He said something earlier and then really kissed me good and I somehow agreed to sky dive with him since I dreamed of flying. Ranger had his arms around me holding me and speaking Spanish into my ear. It calmed me a little but not enough. He lifted me up when the instructor gave him a thumbs up, then started connecting cords and straps to me to connect us as one.

"I feel like your my kangaroo daddy and I'm your pouch baby in this get up." The instructor started to laugh and put his hands in front of his body and bounce around a little like a kangaroo.

"You checked his credentials right, he isn't just some wacko who packed a chute for us and put us on a plane right."

"Babe." He didn't give me a direct answer and the fear was making me unable to understand his hidden Babe meaning at the moment.

He checked us and then gave us a thumbs up. We got close to the opening.

"Wait wait. I need to tell you something. If I die today your responsible for our hamster son, give Lula my shoes and.. and I love you!" Ranger jumped out of the plane in that moment. My arms were crossed around my body but I was screaming bloody murder with my eyes closed. I felt Ranger wrap his legs around my body and felt him pull the cord. It felt like we were being pushed back strongly in the air. Then I felt us flying softly in the wind.

"I love you too Babe. Now open your eyes." He grabbed my arms and held them out like I was a bird. I opened them and saw a beautiful view of mountains in the distance and a field around us with a few scattered trees. It was the perfect place to hear he loved me.

"You did it wonder woman, I'm proud of you. Much better then Tank."

"I'm flying Carlos, I'm finally flying." I just heard him chuckle.

"We're landing soon I want you to start moving your feet like your running so we land smoothly." I followed his instructions and we landed perfectly on the ground. I was bouncing up and down while Ranger tried to disconnect us.

"Babe your killing me. If you keep bouncing around on me I'll have to find a creative way to keep you still."

I jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around him.

"Thank you Thank you!" I kept kissing him all over his face. He just gave me a big smile and hugged me to him.

It didn't hit me until we got back to our car that Ranger and I said we loved each other. I didn't have a panic attack or break out in hives like I felt with Morelli. Wait! Ranger said it back in the most romantic way possible too. He opened my door for me and I leaned into him. "You love me?"

He got close to my lips and gave me a small kiss. "I do. I have for a long time."

"You should have told me."

"I tried. I just kept messing it up and it would come out wrong. I'm not great with words. You should remember that when I mess up. And you weren't ready for them anyway."

"I have for a long time too." I got into the car and put on the radio.

On the drive I stared at the single red rose Ranger gave me this morning and remembered all the times Ranger sent me one. Valentine's Day, my birthday, Christmas.

"Do you know what a single red rose symbolizes? You've given me so many I looked up the meaning."

"A promise of life long devotion and love. The color itself is for passion and desire. History shows even in ancient Rome lovers gave each other red roses as a symbol of I love you after the Roman goddess Venus, the goddess of love."

"So you were dropping hints this whole time. I feel stupid but you should feel honored you even heard the words from me, most of the time when someone tells me they love me I just say me too." Ranger chuckled.

"I'm not great with emotions and words, and you aren't either, it's why we're a match."

"Where did you learn how to be so romantic?"

"My father. He still romances my mother every chance he can get."

"I'd like to meet them some day."

"I'm not close to them anymore. A few phone calls but they haven't agreed with a lot of my decisions since I went to juvie, so I send gifts for holidays and birthdays and call occasionally." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. I never realized how lonely his life was. I just assumed he visited his family secretly. I wanted to lighten up the mood.

"Why is Tank turning into a cat lady?" He pulled a strand of hair loose and started twirling it between his fingers.

"He found a family of cats while patrolling and he couldn't find a home for them and the shelter wanted to separate them so he adopted them. It helped that they scared Lula away but that was just an unexpected bonus. Tank said he has cats because in Egypt cats were sacred animals and the goddess Bastet was shown not just as a cat but a war like lioness. They are also believed to be keepers of the underworld."

"I use to be terrified of Tank, but he is actually really sweet to me. I got to know him when you hand cuffed us together, thanks for that by the way." I rolled my eyes at him. "He lives in an adorable house, doesn't wear tighty whities and although Lula did a number on him he was an excellent boyfriend from what I heard. He bought her beautiful flowers and a pearl handle gun for Valentine's Day. It sounded like his only down side was that he snored and sweat a lot and cared about his cats more then her."

"Sometimes I didn't know if we were being attacked or he was sleeping. How do you know about his underwear?" He raised one eye brow at me.

"He told us on the way to Vegas for Boo and Samuel. We offered to stop at his place for his things. He also told me that women only drive in his bed not his car." I was amusing Ranger.

**_Two Weeks Later_**

RPOV

Today is Babe's 34th birthday. I've made her breakfast in bed, a Greek omelet and I went to the bakery yesterday and got her a few Greek donuts with some fresh orange juice since Greek coffee has been bothering her stomach lately. I pulled the covers off her and got between her thighs. She is so beautiful, sweet and pink. I love tasting her. I woke her up slowly with my tongue and after she was panting and moaning I gave her my first gift.

"That's my favorite way to wake up. If you did that more often I may even get up early once in a while."

"I let you sleep in already and made you breakfast." Babe had a big smile on her face and smelled her single red rose.

"I feel like a princess already your spoiling me too much."

"I've never had a girlfriend long enough to celebrate her birthday so I'm taking cues of what my father use to do for my mother."

"I know your not close but I hope one day to meet them, they can't be worse then my family. Grandma Mazur shot the roast once with my gun and Kloughn usually sets a table cloth on fire if we light candles."

"They're not bad people... they are all just loud and opinionated and we all smack each other in the back of the heads. And there is a lot of them. They are noisy and can be overwhelming with a lot of questions. That's only the immediate family, the extended cousins and relatives are much worse. Remember me telling you my neighborhood is like the burg, everyone knows everyone's business and that doesn't fly with me."

"To me it sounds like a normal family, but I can see how you wouldn't enjoy it."

"I've never brought a woman to meet them either. They only know about you because of the Scrog mess and because of Marty Sanchez and Sybo Diaz. Diaz might have mentioned something to his ex wife, my cousin. When they call they ask about you too."

"You didn't introduce Rachel to them? You were married to her?"

"No. We did a quick justice of the peace wedding and then I shipped out the next day. My family wasn't there and I was away when Julie was born. Rachel called to tell my parents she was in labor since we were still married at the time and they flew down to Miami to meet her and Julie. At the time Rachel and I knew we would get divorced so she didn't make an effort to stay in touch with them after it was granted, she would only send a picture once in a while since I wasn't actively involved in her life. Rachel didn't see the point of involving more people in the situation. Then Ron came into the picture and she wanted to make them a family. We didn't have a good friendship until later after she married Ron, so a few years were a bit tense on both of our parts."

"Why was it tense?"

"In the beginning I think she was confusing love for the baby for love for me. She wanted the happy family, house, a stable husband and I didn't. I was going to be a Ranger with Tank and nothing was going to stop me. It sounds cold but we didn't even know anything about each other when we got married and she knew before we did that I wanted a divorce. I think she was hoping I'd change my mind eventually but I never was physically or emotionally present with her and she eventually got back with her high school boyfriend Ron."

"What have you told your family about me?"

"I said we worked together and we were friends because at the time that's what we were. I didn't want them in my business. They do know your the Bombshell Bounty Hunter and follow you in the papers. Several of them want to meet you. My sister has a scrap book about you. She thinks your cool." Babe threw her hands over her face.

"O brother this is horrible! Parents of my boyfriends always hate me. Dickie's mother tortured me from the start, and Joe's mom never thought I was good enough for her son. Your parents are going to think I'm a hot mess that enjoys fires. This is so embarrassing." I pried her hands away from her face and kissed her nose.

"Your not a mess and you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Most of those things weren't your fault. And your a better investigator then most of the Trenton PD. Everyone knows the papers exaggerate and you've been getting training to better yourself from me who you have said yourself is the best." Babe snuggled into my neck and just breathed in my scent. The moment I found out she liked it, I made sure Ella only bought that brand.

"So what's the big surprise. I've been bothering you for days and it's killing me."

"I've packed you a bag for the night, we are staying at a hotel in Rome." She screamed and cheered.

"Ok what else?"

"Wear comfortable clothes today and sneakers. It's cold outside so a side holster and your leather Jacket. You've been practicing for 4 weeks at the range with your gun, are you ready to load it today? Where we're going is a lot more crowded so it may be wise to be armed." She bit her lip thinking.

SPOV

"Ok but if I freak out with it I reserve the right to unload it, since it is my birthday today."

"Only because today is your day."

We took a small charted flight to Rome and then Ranger rented us a car at the small airport. I felt my spidey sense tingling. I grabbed Ranger's wrist.

"Spidey sense." He grabbed the car keys, kept his hand on his gun and moved me quickly to the car. I didn't see anyone and neither did he. He checked over the car quickly and peeled of out of the lot.

"What kind of feeling Babe?"

"Danger. It was strong while we were there but once we got in the lot I didn't feel it anymore." I saw Ranger checking for tails. He made several turns and ran several yellow lights. At one point he got out of the car and started using a scanner checking for bugs.

"Why did it just beep when you came near me?"

"Gps in your gun clip. In case we get separated I can find you. Let's go we have an appointment and we're already going to be a little late." We drove 30 minutes and fun Carlos was gone. I was dealing with serious Mercenary Ranger now. He was even more vigilant, checking tails and keeping his gun ready on his lap.

"A raceway? Are we watching race cars? I'm more of a hockey girl then NASCAR."

"Patience. We're not watching were racing." I felt my eyes bug out. Lined up were many cars mostly Lambo's and a few Maserati's with a few others mixed in.

"I have really bad luck with cars and just one is worth more then I'll even make in my lifetime."

"They have insurance and it's a closed course. We're going to race against each other. Pick any three cars."

I picked a red Lambo and Ranger jumped in a Black Maserati. Figures. We received instructions on the course and made sure we were a few lanes apart from each other. A man stepped up with a flag and dropped it. We sped off. This car was fast but Ranger was ahead of me. We did our ten laps and he won.

"Which car next?"

"I'm going for the Porsche Batman."

"I'll take your Lambo."

We waited for the man to drop the flag and I actually pulled ahead of Ranger. I guess I just felt more comfortable in the Porsche having drove Ranger's a few times. I screamed when I beat him by a nose. I jumped out of the car.

"I won! I WON!" Fun Ranger was back and he picked me up and twirled me around in the air.

"We still have one race left speed racer."

I chose to go american and picked a viper in a forest green. Ranger went for the Aston Martin in blue.

"It's very James Bond but also looks like something Bruce Wayne would drive. Sleek, sexy, dangerous just like the man behind the wheel." Ranger grabbed my shirt and pulled me in for a kiss. I let my hand linger on his thigh.

"Your trying to distract me so you can win."

"Would I do that?" I gave him a big smile. He spanked my butt lightly and pointed me into the direction of my car. After ten laps we finished at the same time the instructor told us. We both made him check the photo finish and he was right.

"This has already been the best birthday I have ever had. I usually just have dinner at my folks place and get clothes. Where to next?"

"A castle." Now my interest was really peaked.

"To do what exactly?"

"You're the worst with surprises. Just relax." I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Lead on dark knight."


	15. Chapter 15

SPOV

I stood in front of the Castel Sant'Angelo taking in the impressive size, stone walkway and an angel at the top of the castle.

"Built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family, the castle was later used by the popes as a fortress and is now a museum. It was once the tallest building in Rome. Once you see the view from the top you will understand why I brought you here." Ranger placed his hand on my lower back and guided me through the many doors and up many different stairways.

"I think we may need to add some conditioning to our self defense lessons for you." I was starting to get winded but I didn't want it to show just how much.

"It's my birthday. I'm not talking about forced running on a day dedicated to me. And if you haven't noticed we exercise a lot already walking almost everywhere and I've lost weight since being in Greece which means running is really not necessary for me right now." He just pulled me closer and kissed my forehead.

We reached the top of the stairs and Ranger stopped at a large wooden door. He opened it and let me go in first. Two large windows were open, the beautiful city of Rome down below. You could see the lights of different buildings, Vatican city, the water under the bridge we drove over to get to the castle lined with different statues of angels. It was a magnificent view. I didn't even notice the small table for two at first. It was covered in a red and white silk table cloth with rose petals scattered around it. Champagne was on ice with a few covered dishes on the table. I felt tears in my eyes, who knew Carlos was such a romantic at heart under that hard exterior.

I felt him embrace me from behind enveloping me in his strong muscular arms and resting his head on top of mine.

"I don't think your nickname does you justice at times, your more of a Casanova. Thank you. This has been the third best day of my life."

Ranger turned me around to him and raised his eyebrow. "Third? What are the top two?"

"The day we agreed to date was the first, the day we went sky driving and you told me you loved me was the second, today the third, the first time we had sex was the fourth, it was quiet memorable, and lastly the day I adopted Rex rounds out my top five moments in my life." Ranger gave me his megawatt smile.

"The day I met you is my top moment. I had a feeling sitting in that diner you were going to change my world." Ranger grazed his fingers along my check then lifted my chin. His lips traced my jaw giving me kisses and playful nips until his lips connected with mine. His tongue was sweet and massaging my own. I put my arms around his neck and he pulled me closer to his warm body. I felt my head getting fuzzy from the lack of oxygen and being so close to Ranger. He broke the kiss sweetly and lead me over to the table. He pushed in my chair and then removed all the covers off my dishes.

"Cold antipasto, eggplant lasagna, seafood risotto, and for dolce, a small chocolate cake with raspberry and chocolate filling."

"You finally have dessert for me and all it takes is my birthday. Thank you Carlos." I took a bite of everything and started moaning. Ranger was moving in his chair uncomfortably.

"Your going to ruin my ability to ever eat Pino's again if we stay too long in Italy. I don't even like vegetables but this lasagna is out of this world with this sauce. I always order Alfredo with sausage but this is now my favorite because of the basil creamy mixture with all of these fresh tomatoes, it's perfect."

After we both cleared our plates we started sipping champagne. Ranger moved the small chocolate cake in between us and placed a single blue candle on top. He took the lighter off the table and lit it. He didn't sing, but spoke the next words while holding both of my hands.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Babe, happy birthday to you. Make a wish"

I closed my eyes and wished I'd always be with Carlos, that we would have a long life together and be happy. I blew out my candle and stood from my chair, sitting in his lap instead, while I enjoyed my dessert. I got him to eat a few raspberries and he give me a few steamy kisses so he could taste the flavor of the cake and because it's my birthday he had a small bite of cake. How he wasn't licking the plate clean like me makes him an odd ball, but I wouldn't have him any other way.

He took a jewelry box out of his pocket. It was red and looked very expensive. Cartier. Yup very expensive. I look right into his eyes.

"You've already given me a great day, you really didn't have to buy me anything. I have more then enough and Cartier is crazy expensive you should have..." He raised his finger to my lips.

"Babe. Your my woman and it's your birthday. Let me spoil you for once and just open it." I took a deep breathe and closed my eyes then opened it.

"A charm bracelet... it's beautiful." Ranger took it out of the box and helped me put it on my wrist.

"Look at the charms. Most are of things we have shared together, so you always have a part of me when were not together."

"It's perfect. Romantic, sweet." I grabbed his face and kissed him with everything I had. He knew me so well. He knew I wouldn't wear a crazy jeweled piece everyday but a charm bracelet I would. It was platinum and adorned many charms I'd have to examine in detail later.

"I'll wear it all the time. I love it. Thank you Carlos. I love you so much." I embraced him and we just held each other for a while soaking up this moment together. It made him happy that I accepted his gift. I still could feel the tears forming behind my eyes. Joe never gave me anything special like jewelry except for a sapphire ring once for Christmas and Dickie usually just bought me a kitchen appliance I'd never use. Lula always bought me a spandex dress I would never be caught dead wearing and sometimes a sex toy while Connie liked to give me romance novels and a cake. Mary Lou knew me well and would give me a gift card for the mall for shoes. I had never received something so personal and so me. It made me feel emotional.

Ranger placed me on my feet and walked me to the elevator.

"Seriously, it has an elevator and you made me do the stairs before!"

"I was trying to work up your appetite, your full now and I don't want you exhausted from the stairs for what I want to do to you tonight." His eyes darkened and I forgot what we were even talking about.

Ranger rushed us to the car and drove us to the Hotel Regina Baglioni. He gave his keys to the valet and grabbed a bag out of the back seat. The lobby had yellow and black checkered marble floors and a large chandelier. The furniture was different shades of purple which I would never expect to work in this room but it did. Everything looked very expensive and lavish. Black table tops and a grand fire place with gold mirrors, the room adored with crown molding. Ranger spoke in Italian to the front desk and got us our room key.

I might not be fluent but I got the picture from being around Joe's family so much who mostly only spoke Italian at family events.

"How many languages do you speak?"

"A few." Ranger's lips twitched.

"A few my ass." I started to laugh at him. "I've heard Greek, Italian, Spanish, English, ghetto, some Russian, and I can barely speak English at times with a few choice phrases in Italian and Hungarian."

"I've traveled a lot. Some things I've picked up along the way, and your Greek is improving." We quickly exited the elevator and went to a double set of doors down the hall. Ranger keyed us into it and inside I heard soft classical music playing with tea candles lit throughout all the rooms. Petals of all different colors were placed around the room and bed while the fireplace was roaring with life. The suite was bathed in ivory and gold. The living room was simple with soft furniture that I felt with my hand.

"In the bedroom I left you something on the bed. I'll be right in."

He made his way to the living room and into another room. My curiosity was peaked so I ran into the bedroom to get a closer look and saw a pink, orange and purple embroidered lingerie piece. The colorful pattern on black tulle made it almost look like a corset but was more delicate and mostly see through. It would hug my skin like a tattoo. It was a subtle veil to my body that had attachments for stockings which were light purple and black to match.

The back of the lingerie had a few eyelet holes for button closures and it came with a tiny matching thong. It was a work of art and Italian. I carefully took the lingerie into the adjoining bathroom and locked the door. Locks didn't stop Ranger but I wanted to make myself beautiful for him after the day he gave me. I saw some new tooth brushes and toothpaste so I quickly brushed and mouth washed. I took off my clothes and put myself into the lingerie. It was very flattering and sexy but not over the top. I found some lotion in the bathroom and quickly applied it onto my skin. It smelled like mango. I tried to fluff up my hair and fix it but with out a brush I just had to make do.

I fixed my boobs and in this get up they did look a size bigger. Pleased with myself I made my way out to the bedroom and stopped in my tracks.

Laying across the bed was a naked Ranger with a bowl full of strawberries and a small dish of chocolate on a silver tray. I nearly came just by that picture alone. His eyes ran my entire body a few times.

"Babe." His voice was husky and deep. I took it he liked the lingerie he picked. I slowly walked over to the bed and got on top of Ranger. He flipped me underneath him and ran a strawberry up my thigh and along my stomach where there was an opening between the black tulle and my thong. He left the strawberry in place and licked where he left some of the juice. He bit into the strawberry and then kissed me slowly. He let me bite into his strawberry while he detached the lingerie from the stockings.

He removed my thong while kissing my inner thighs and tossed it behind him. I tried to touch him but he just lightly pushed me back down. He took two fingers into the small chocolate dish then lightly coated my stomach and my folds. He used his tongue to lick it off and then made me suck on his chocolate covered fingers licking them clean. He fed me another strawberry and then kissed me while I ate it.

I licked the juice off his chin and he groaned. Using my new found knowledge of self defense, I flipped him onto his back and straddled his thighs. I took the chocolate and licked it off his tight abs and thighs. I placed some on his jewels and sucked them clean. Ranger never took his eyes off of me. I placed some more on his stiff erection and really went down on him.

He thighs jumped a little and his body tensed. He was breathing heavier and I just wanted to pour all my love out to him for giving me the perfect day. I used my hand in coordination with my mouth to quicken the pace while I fondled him with my other fingers. He groaned and I felt his balls tighten. I gave them a good squeeze and he came in my mouth. I swallowed the saltiness and gave him once last open mouth kiss on his head. He was still hard as steel. I didn't want it to go to waste so I lightly slid onto him and he moaned again.

"Your going to kill me Babe. Don't stop."

I moved my hips gently and placed my chest in front of his face. He used his mouth to free my breasts, licking and sucking on them. It was making me wetter. Screw this. I started riding him like my life depended on it. Ranger placed his hand between us and started to rub me and thrust himself up while keeping me balanced. I saw stars and Ranger just kept rubbing to prolong it. I've never screamed so loud. He re positioned us on our sides and kept moving in and out of me.

"You're mine Babe. You'll always be mine." He kissed me deeply while quickening his pace and rubbing me again. We were so close, after three thrusts he came inside of me and I moaned again from the pleasure. I felt like his completely. Body, mind, soul and he felt like mine. We didn't make an effort to move. Once I caught my breath we fed each other the last of the strawberries before we fell asleep. The last moment before the darkness fell on me, I remember admiring Carlos's beautiful face. I noticed how peaceful he looked while he slept.

I heard an alarm go off and I just wanted it to go away. The window showed the sun was out and this bed was as comfortable as Ranger's back at Rangeman. I didn't want to leave my warm cocoon but Ranger had other plans.

"Two options. We can explore Italy or you can stay in bed. Our flight leaves at 8 pm so we need to be there 40 minutes early." I jumped out of bed and into the shower. I came out in a robe and I couldn't see Ranger in the bedroom or living room. I heard a door bell ring and Ranger just signed for breakfast placing it on the table.

"You didn't join me?"

"If we were in the shower together we'll never leave and I know you want to explore." True. Damn.

"I ordered you waffles with strawberries and I got an egg white veggie omelet." I smiled and blushed. I'll never look at a strawberry the same way ever again.

"Mine is better." Ranger poured us two coffees and some orange juice. I smelled the coffee and it just didn't make me feel great so I stuck to juice. Of course Ranger noticed.

"Greek Coffee is a lot stronger then what your use to drinking back home. Some Italian coffee's can be like that too. Sometimes it can be hard on the stomach in the morning. We'll look for something lighter while we travel about today to bring back with us."

"Is there anywhere special we should go? Any place you'd like to visit?"

"It doesn't matter to me. We can see the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Pyramid of Cestius, the Spanish steps. The Vatican and the museum will be very busy, we might want to keep it off the list unless you want to be in lines all day." No thank you.

"Let's hit the Colosseum first and see where the day takes us." Ranger and I got dressed and strapped on our guns. Mine loaded and the funny thing was I didn't even notice it yesterday with all the festivities. That feeling was unexpected, so I kept it loaded again today in my shoulder holster.

We checked out of our hotel and Ranger got us into our car and pulled it over a few blocks away. He checked it over again for bugs but it was clean. I watched in fascination the busy streets of Rome. Vendors on the sidewalks and tourists busy walking from hotels and shops.

"This is one of my top five places to see before I die. I wish we had more time. Can we stay longer?"

"Next time. Right now Italy would be hard to hide in because we don't have a lot of resources with us and the constant traffic and numerous people make it hard to spot people in crowds. Greece's tourism has died down a lot because it's October so its easier to move around and make an escape if we need to. One day I will bring you back and we can spend as much time as you like."

I liked hearing I had a future with Ranger, it always brings a smile to my face to know this gorgeous Cuban sex god is all mine. I admired my bracelet and really examined the charms. A rose, a plane, both of our birthstones making up a heart, a handcuffs charm, a strawberry charm, a batman and wonder woman symbol inside an eternity sign, a castle, a couple dancing, a fish to represent the beach, and a horse?"

"A horse? We didn't ride horses or see any?"

"It represents the Porsche."

"Clever. I love it." He gave me a smug smile in return and just held my hand while we moved slowly in the traffic.

TPOV

I held the phone in my hand gripping it tighter.

"Silvio can you do any better on Dr. Jeffery Copeland? All I see is he was constantly gambling in Atlantic City, was a OBGYN at Saint Francis for 30 years until he had a heart attack four years ago. Divorced, no children and I don't see anything on his license against him or any suspicious records from 34 years ago. Does he have any connection to Adelaide or Ethan in your research? Or are you still investigating."

"There is nothing else. He is clean except he liked to win big but lose big too at the casinos. Black jack and poker mostly. In my opinion he wasn't involved and was probably paid off to make some paper work happen then took the cash straight to gamble.

However, I did find two Adelaide Wyndom's at Fort Dix around 34 years ago with two different spellings of their last names. One was an army nurse on base, not married until 5 years later to a Winston Bell and the other Adelaide was going to school at the time to become a school nurse, but was married to a Charles Wyndom, a soldier.

The army nurse passed away ten years ago in a car accident with her husband when a drunk driver hit them, and the school nurse died of breast cancer last year. Neither had any known associates by the name of Ethan, but I'm emailing you both of there backgrounds and photos to your in box."

I hung up on him. I saw the email and printed it out. Both were relatively thin backgrounds. I started with the army nurse first, Adelaide Winddom, received her training out of high school and interned at Princeton hospital among other institutions before joining the army of nurses on base and advancing her training.

She was on base for 8 years before moving to North Carolina to a different base with her husband. A few years later they died. Known associates include other nurses on base and other soldiers and family. I start forwarding the names to whoever is currently on our search desk for a basic background on each name. I moved onto the second Adelaide. She was was only 22 at the time Steph was born, going to school off base at Trenton State and received her degree three years later. She moved down to Florida with her husband once his commitment was up and became a school nurse at an elementary school until she retired 5 years ago due to illness. Husband remarried one of her friends not long after her death. That seems cold. I ran a search of his name and number and pick up my phone to make the call.

"Hello?" A woman's voice.

"May I speak to a Charles Wyndom?"

"May I ask who is calling?"

"My name is Tank, I use to serve in the Army and I need to speak to Charles regarding that time. It's very important I speak to him."

"Of course! One moment." I heard her calling him Charlie in the background.

"Hello, this is Charles Wyndom, but I don't know any Tank, I think you have the wrong number."

"No sir, we do not know each other. I'm calling in reference to a time you and your former wife lived at Fort Dix 34 years ago. Do you remember her mentioning a baby girl or helping with an adoption of any sort? Or if you were both friends with anyone named Plum?"

"That was a long time ago. I can barely remember what I ate last week, let me think."

"Fort Dix, hmm. She spent a lot of her time back then at school, socializing or talking to her family on the phone who lived near Virginia. At that time I wasn't home a lot, I was training or sent away to learn new skills. She never mentioned any baby to me and we agreed not to have children early on in our marriage. The only children she ever talked about were the ones at her job. What is this all about?"

"I'm investigating the background of a child's adoption and two Adelaide's came up, but your the only living relative I could speak to about that time. If you remember anything I'd appreciate a call, it would mean a lot to the child to have some answers."

"Of course, good luck."

I submitted the second Adelaide's associates and relatives for a background check to see if anything came up. I was thinking of taking a picture of the two women over to Helen Plum to id, but if she couldn't describe a man she saw for years to me, I doubt she'd remember a woman she wasn't very friendly with 34 years ago. I'll send Binkie as punishment for scratching his SUV and not waste my time.

I didn't feel bad for lying to Charles. Once Steph finds out the truth after the initial shock, I bet she will thank me for investigating who her biological parents are, which is fueling me to find her some answers. No matter how tedious the process is, I'm curious myself.

RPOV

Babe and I were enjoying our time in Italy. We went to the Colosseum, the Pyramid of Cestius, had pizza near the Spanish steps then toured the Pantheon. I've been to Italy a few times for work, but I enjoyed seeing the sites through Steph's eyes. She makes me feel more human and is starting to brighten up my life like I have never experienced before.

"I'm starving it's just passed dinner time, can we grab a quick bite before we catch the plane? I see a little cafe across the street?" It was pretty busy but I walked us over and they had a table left near the windows. Great. The worst spot imaginable but at least I'd have my back to the one wall and I'd just place myself next to the window and have Babe sit on my side for protection.

Waiters were walking around with trays of pasta and it smelled pretty good. A man was walking around and serenading the whole restaurant with his guitar.

"I'm getting the pasta bolognese with the meatballs. I saw someone with it the moment we walked in and knew that was what I wanted. What are you getting? I don't see twigs and berries available." She gave me a playful kiss.

"Vegetable Risotto and I'll order us some calamari." The waiter took our order and left quickly.

"I love hearing you speak foreign languages, it turns me on and makes you even more attractive then you already are." I'd have to make a note of that in bed for the future. I knew my Spanish calmed her down when she was upset.

"Just a body and face, not many people like what's underneath."

"I do." Babe took my lips into her mouth and moaned softly while bracing against my chest. The waiter interrupted us eventually leaving us our appetizer.

"This is different, it's not fried like back home?"

"It's lightly battered in herbs and bread crumbs but its cooked." I squeezed a little lemon on it and fed her a piece.

"Hmm it is good." She fed me a piece then.

"Next time I want to go on a gondola ride and check out some of the shops. I saw a few windows that had all these meats and cheeses hanging up, and a few with these really cool masks. You know my favorite holiday is coming up, Halloween. I haven't picked out my costume yet but Grandma and I usually coordinate. Last year I was Dorthy from Wizard of Oz and she was a sexy Glinda the good witch. This year it is my turn to pick the theme but I'm undecided." She gave me a strange look.

"I'm not wearing a costume." She looked sad for a moment then brightened.

"Not even if I wore a costume just for you in bed, you wouldn't wear one for me?" Hmm that's probably the only way I would.

"Depends on what it is and how good your costume is." I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Our dinner was placed in front of us and Babe dug right in with gusto. I liked that about her, she wasn't afraid to eat. I still didn't understand where she put it all, she rarely gained much weight with all the junk she ate and she didn't exercise regularly.

I tried her pasta but I preferred my Risotto, Babe felt the opposite.

"I just want to eat my weight in this sauce. I'll never enjoy Pino's the same again." After a few more bites she dropped her fork and looked out the window.

"Spidey sense. We're being watched. Across the street, the guy on the corner with the baseball hat and some sunglasses." I had my hand on my gun. He had a large build and was pretending to be on his phone while keeping the restaurant in sight. I couldn't get a good look at his face but he had a beard. I pulled my money clip out, placed the bills on the table to cover the bill and started to make our way through to the kitchen out the back door.

"I don't think this is an exit." Babe was apologizing in Italian as we made our way through, the chefs and wait staff just watching us confused.

"The car is the other way."

"We need to lose him first before we lead him to the car and the airport." Ranger held me next to him and pulled me into a shop a few blocks down. He started grabbing different clothes and hats. He pulled the tags off and went to the register to pay.

"Put these on and put your hair up with the scarf." Babe and I both changed behind the curtain into new clothes and put our old clothes into a shopping bag.

"When we leave this store act natural. Do not look behind you. Use windows or mirrors to see around you or pretend to kiss me to look behind you. Is your gun loaded?"

"Yes."

"No matter what happens even if I get hurt, you get away. I'll find you. Your more important." She tried to talk.

"Babe!" She just nodded.

SPOV

Mercenary Ranger is back and not to be argued with. If I didn't know him so well and know he'd never hurt me I'd be afraid of him.

"We need to move." Ranger placed his gun in the front waist of his pants and then checked out the store and outside before he let us exit.

After a few blocks and multiple turns I felt we were getting further and further from the car. He must have spotted the man because I felt him shielding me more and starting to move us between people quickly to increase our distance.

"Can you see who it is Carlos?"

"No. I don't think he is communicating with anyone, I haven't seen anyone else in the area."

He took several turns and crossed many streets right when the lights were about to turn green for the cars.

"He has training, anyone else we would have lost by now. I need you to get your gun ready as soon as I turn the next corner." Ranger found a side alley with a door and picked the lock, checked inside quickly. It was a storage area and he placed me inside.

"Lock this door and hide. Shot if I don't walk back in here then run away." I watched Ranger exit, locked the door and grabbed my gun stepping back further into the room. I hid behind some barrels that were stocked high. I held my gun in my hand and let it rest on my side. Listening for any sound.

RPOV

I checked she locked the door and then I grabbed my knife that I had hidden on my leg. I didn't want to cause a lot of noise in case he wasn't alone. I checked the street and saw him coming. I hid on the opposite wall to grab him quietly. I saw the green hat and grabbed him by his arm and twisted it behind his back then placed my blade against his throat while slamming his face into the wall.

"Why are you following me White?"


	16. Chapter 16

RPOV

"Still touchy as ever Mr. Black...put the knife away. I didn't sell us out at the safe house if that is what your thinking. Where's the lovely Rose?"

"Why are you following me?" I pressed the knife deeper into his throat drawing some blood.

"I thought I saw you at the rental car desk at that hole in the wall airport. Then again in a window of the Cafe." He tried to maneuver out of my grip but I just held him tighter.

"I was waiting for you to come out... You're suppose to be stateside, that was your plan."

"Why are you in Rome?"

"On assignment. It was a coincidence I saw you. What happen to Rose?" I didn't believe in coincidences they got you killed.

"Who leaked the safe house then? Not many people knew our location."

"I assumed at one point it was you so you could sell her for the cash, but things have changed since you have been out of touch. Our handler is gone, we got a new hard ass that makes the last one look like a puppy. I heard the General is cracking heads and cleaning house for the multiple leaks. His number two, Braxton is dead, been with the General since he took charge. Heard it was an accident, but in our line of work you never know. Something isn't right about that assignment we were sent on. I took pictures of what was left of our intruders at the safe house and submitted it for debrief. Some faces use to work for our side not that long ago, others from Europe. I don't know who Rose is but she is worth a lot more then what we were told."

"How much is she worth and to who?" I dug the knife in even more, I was losing patience with him.

"A week after my debrief I received an email with her picture and saw she is worth 150 million if she is in one piece with all her working parts. The email offered me a split 50/50 for information on her whereabouts that led to her capture. I tried to look into it myself but I couldn't trace it. I responded to the email pretending to know where Rose was and left a number to call me, no one responded. That was 4 weeks ago. I submitted the email to the General's office. He isn't looking good right now hence his personal involvement. Probably worried someone is gunning for his job."

"Tell me the email address."

"No asshole." He started laughing a little.

"If I see you again, you're dead." I smashed his face really hard against the wall and he was knocked out. I moved his body further into the alley and left him in a pile of garbage handcuffed. It wouldn't stop him, just slow him down a little so Steph and I could leave. I checked his body for papers and took his phone and weapons. If we were somewhere more private I'd get the information no matter how long it took, but with Steph near by I didn't want her to see this side of me. She has heard rumors I kill people but to see me do it or torture him is a different story.

I knocked on the side door and called out for Babe. She came out with her gun raised just in case. That's my girl. I took White's weapons and hid them in that room. He didn't have anything else on him except a room key and his phone. I took the memory card out and left the phone in the room.

"We need to leave now." I didn't mean to scare her but I wanted her to know now was not the time to chat.

I grabbed her hand and we started to make our way back to the car quickly. Babe was breathing to heavy to ask questions and I was thankful. I wasn't sure what I was going to tell her anyway.

SPOV

Ranger got us back to the car and checked it over for explosives and bugs.

"I saw the guy from the alley, it looked like Mr. White. Nice to see someone else in garbage other then me." Ranger didn't respond.

"Is he...is he dead?" Ranger didn't look at me, he just kept driving.

"No." Well that made me feel a little better. I didn't like the guy but I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be hiding a body with Ranger.

"We'll talk about this later, right now we need to get rid of this car. I'll call the company and tell them it was stolen yesterday and we'll take a cab to a boat. White saw us at the rental car place. I didn't use Mendez's for this trip, I used another id so it wouldn't trace us back to Greece. I chose that small airport because it didn't have a lot of camera's due to some unsavory ties who want there privacy just as much. We should be ok but I don't want to take the chance by returning the same way. When we return to Greece we need to stick close to home. I'm concerned about being spotted again."

Ranger didn't hold my hand or touch me, he just kept driving to a busy tourist area and then removed our bag from the bag and hailed us a taxi. He spoke in rapid Italian to the driver and gave him a couple of hundreds. He was tense in the taxi looking around constantly so I placed my hand on his thigh in support. I felt responsible. We were here for my birthday after all. Ranger tensed under my touch and then I felt the tension leave his body. He placed his arm around my shoulders so I leaned into him for his strength.

"Where are we going?"

"We'll talk about it when we get there." I guess he didn't want to talk in front of the driver. He just kissed my forehead and started to play with my hair. I felt my eyes get heavy from the adrenaline leaving my body so I decided to just rest my eyes.

"Babe wake up we're here." I felt someone shaking me. I just wanted to rest more. I peaked one eye open.

"We need to get out now." I looked around and saw some large boats, a ferry?

Ranger helped me get out and grabbed our bag.

"There are cameras here so keep your scarf over your hair and face as much as possible. It's raining here so you'll blend in. Don't talk to anyone, try to stay as inconspicuous as possible on camera so I can buy us our tickets and we can get out of here." Ranger had on a baseball cap and jacket with a scarf too. Not his normal outfit but I guess he was trying to look less like himself. He bought us two tickets and we boarded the ferry that was to leave in the next 20 minutes.

"It's going to be a long ride which will drop us off on the west coast of Greece. There are cameras on the main deck areas on board, the casino, the swimming pool, the restaurants but not in the private cars and cabins. If we leave the private cabin we need to be covered up in case anyone checks the videos later on otherwise we can relax in the cabin." Ranger walked us to the one on the end and unlocked it with his key. He pulled the shade over the window and re engaged the lock. I saw him scan the room for bugs and look for cameras but he didn't find any. I took the seat by the window and put my legs up along three chairs.

"They aren't the most comfortable chairs but I've sat in worse." I still felt groggy as I took off my layers. Ranger took up my same position but on the other side of the small private cabin. "Talk." Wow I was spending way to much time with him if I was down to a one word sentences.

Ranger racked his hand along his face. He seemed stressed. "Mr. White isn't Mr. White, just like you know I'm not Mr. Black. We use it to keep our identities secret, it makes things simple. His real name is Cross and he is a pain in the ass who has no code or honor other then to himself."

"Yeah he seemed like he'd sell his mother for a nickel, it's one reason I never left my room, I didn't like how he looked at me." My body involuntary shivered a little. "Continue."

"He told me he picked me out at the car rental desk, but wasn't sure it was me because I was suppose to be in the states with you. That was three of my contingency plans if we had to leave the cabin. I had no plans to move Rose out of the country until I discovered you were her. I never trusted him, when I realized we had intruders I led him to believe I was going with the plan that entails he covers us and I move you out of state to a larger city alone."

"Why work with him if you don't trust him?"

"You don't get a choice who you work with your assigned by skills. Cross is a good field medic and he gets results most of the time. You work with who you have to, to get the job done while watching your own back. It's part of the job."

"Why were you chosen? Do you think someone knew we worked together in the past?"

"I don't know. My skills... vary. I'm more strategic then Cross. I think if someone knew we had a connection they would have just ordered me to pick you up myself instead of putting us in a cabin with Cross."

"What did you two talk about?"

"I asked him why he was following me, he said he saw me in the window of the cafe and was waiting to talk to me. Told me things had changed back at the... home office. People were being replaced for the leak. I warned Cross to stay away from us and knocked him out to give us time to get away. He has similar training like me, I'm sure he knew more and was just trying to piss me off."

"You don't think it's a coincidence he saw you twice?"

"No. Coincidences get you killed in my line of work. I take his information as lies until I know otherwise. It wouldn't be the first time he gave me bad intel just to try to get me killed. He likes to play games."

I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around it while I placed my head down. I needed to think. I felt Ranger come up behind me and place himself against my back to hold me. He whispered to me in Spanish and lightly brushed my hair with his finger tips. I just felt so tired and stressed that I leaned back into him and closed my eyes in a makeshift thinking position.

Edna POV

I was just making some scrambled eggs for breakfast when I heard a strong knock on the door. I walked over in my pink nighty with my robe open hoping it was Mr. Ginzler from down the hall looking for some fun. I couldn't see through the peep hole because it was too high so I cracked the door open with the chain.

"My my... look what the cat dragged in, if it isn't Joseph Morelli." He looked at me confused.

"Mrs. Mazur what are you doing here? Where's Steph I need to talk to her."

I closed the door and undid the chain to open the door for him. He walked in. "Are you staying with Steph again? I tried to call her cell but it's off and her voice mail was full. I tried the land line too and it was unplugged."

" I unplugged it. I live here now. That thing rings all the damn time I don't know how my baby granddaughter can think with it. Everyone has my cell number anyway when they want to hook up for a hot date." He gave me a pained expression.

"Is she here? I didn't see a POS car in the lot and I just back an hour ago. I need to pick up Bob soon from my mother's."

"No she's on some big case for Rangeman. She has been gone since you left. I heard you dumped her and are seeing other women from your cousin and your mother, is that true?" He put on his cop face.

"I need to talk to her about that. Do you know where she is? Have a contact number or do her parents know?"

"I heard rumors Miami I think from Connie, she hasn't checked in, it's a pretty big case and her parents haven't heard from her but I don't see it's any of your business anymore. You screwed the pooch. I hope she ends up with Tank now, he is a big fella and kinda a hottie."

"Tank?! Why would she be dating Tank? Is she in Miami with Ranger?" He started turning really red and looked like he was counting.

"I've met Tank lots of times were good friends now, he seems nice and like her type. I bet they named him Tank for a reason especially below the belt." I gave him a saucy wink. He looked horrified.

"I really need to speak to her, I'll call Tank. Have a good morning Mrs. Mazur."

"Wait! You need to tell me the goods of what happen. The girls at the clip and curl will want the goods I have to know!" He put his hand on his hip and sighed.

"Between the two of us, until I at least try to contact Steph in the next 24 hours?"

"Sure between the two of us gals." I had my fingers crossed behind my back.

"We mutually decided to see other people for a while. I met someone while I was on my case and we've decided to see each other and I wanted to warn Steph first. Is she seeing anyone? Ranger?"

"Not that I know of, but when she gets back I'm going to try and set her up with some of the hunks of Rangeman unless that sexy bounty hunter steps up." Morelli laughed.

"Ranger doesn't do relationships. I wasn't worried he would steal Steph other then for a night. She always came back to me for a reason." He had a big smile on his face and put his fingers in his belt loops while leaning back on his heels.

"And I always thought she could do a lot better then throwing you a bone. A lot of people think so too, but I never interfered because it was her life. Go run along with your new tramp and knock her up, my baby granddaughter doesn't need a man who has jumped in and out of every bed in New Jersey like a bed bug." I gave him a big smile and he turned sharply and walked out of the door with a slam.

Suck on that a while Morelli, thinking he is hot shit in this town. I've seen Ranger's package now he is hot shit. I should have told Morelli it was like an anaconda or a torpedo, no wonder Steph spends time with him. O well. I picked up my cell phone and started making a call to the biggest busy body I know.

"Hi Bitsy, it's Edna, guess who was just at my door. Joseph Morelli and he told me Steph dumped his ass for a better man which is why he went to lick his wounds out of town and tried to come here to beg for her back. He was disappointed she was on a high profile case. And get this, he has a new flavor of the week in town from one of his cases. A real tramp to take care of his needs till he thinks Steph will give him the time of day. But my money is she wouldn't throw him a bone, she is doing much better without the dead weight. Morelli will probably just shack up with his new flavor till hopefully he knocks her up and stays away from my baby granddaughter for good. Just wanted to let you know between us girls."

"Of course Edna, just between us girls." I heard her giggle on the other end. The whole burg will know in 15 minutes. I started to make myself a bloody Mary in celebration of a job well done.

Tank POV

I've had a long night from an attempted break in of one of the offices downtown we monitor, it was a large account so I had to make an appearance. The thieves were apprehended but decided to all put up a fight with our patrol so I was drowned in paper work and police reports all night making sure our guys weren't brought up on charges of excessive force. I was just about to take a nap on my couch in my office when my cell buzzed.

"What!" I growled into my phone.

"I'm looking for Steph, her granny said you know where she is. I need her number." Freaking Morelli.

"No."

"Seriously Tank it's important. I need to talk to her before she returns or speaks to anyone back home."

"You made it clear she is Rangeman's problem from now on, so go eat shit." I hung up on him. He called back and I sent it to voice mail. I just needed thirty minutes to recharge.

SPOV

My thinking position turned into sleeping. I woke up to my face in Ranger's chest.

"Go back to sleep Babe it's still the middle of the night."

"How are we laying down flat?"

"The chairs turn into a makeshift bed. After you fell asleep I opened it up for us to relax." I tried to get up and he held me tighter.

"I need to pee." I started to grab my jacket and scarf and Ranger checked the hallway then bathroom down the hall. Luckily the bathroom was empty otherwise he would have scared the crap out of the women inside when he just walked into a stall and unzipped his pants to pee too.

"This is a women's bathroom dude." I had stage fright so it took me longer to do my business and Ranger figured that out and started to chuckle. He left the sink on for me so the water would help me relax. I finished then washed my face since I looked like a mess and put my hair into a bun. I re-wrapped my scarf on my head and made my way out with Ranger who looked fresh and perfect as a daisy. I hated him.

Ranger rechecked our small cabin then re-locked the door. I got back on the small makeshift bed and Ranger held me from behind. I used his arm as my pillow and his body heat as my blanket and then drifted back to sleep.

Hours later I felt the sun hitting me right in the face and a crick in my neck. I got up and started to stretch. I looked out the window and saw we were still out to sea. I slept well but uncomfortably and now my back was killing me.

"We can pee and grab some food it's just after lunch, enough for us not to leave our private cabin till tomorrow morning. I want to stay off the cameras as much as possible."

"Fine but I have my own gun I pee alone." I gave him a glare and he just twitched his lips.

"We're a couple Babe. Compared to the things we do to each other already peeing isn't a big deal." I groaned.

"Don't make me shot you in the foot." I pushed him playfully and he kissed me good morning. Ranger checked the bathroom briefly by opening the door and looking in. He let me do my business alone and then made our way to the upper decks. It looked like some people slept on the top deck with sleeping bags everywhere. Now I didn't feel as bad about our sleeping arrangements, the floor is always worse.

Ranger and I grabbed sandwiches, snacks, fruits, vegetables for him, salad, and other non perishables to bring back to our cabin. We fixed the bed back into seats and each took a side to eat.

"I've been thinking about Cross, did he find us by mistake or has he been tracking us?"

"I think the first time was an accident, the second I don't know. I didn't see him at the hotel or castle but he could have followed us."

"Do you think he knows we're a couple?"

"He probably assumes we're faking it. It's easier to move as a couple then two individuals, so for him to see me take you places would feed into that assumption. He's had to do it himself. Relationships in this line of work are difficult... Your not eating much?"

"I've never been on a boat before I feel like I'm going to throw up. Probably sea sick." Ranger came over and handed me a bottle of juice and started putting pressure on different parts of my body.

"What are you doing?"

"Pressure points. Drink lots of fluids and if you feel sick throw up in this bag." He kissed my head and leaned me bag into him.

"When I first moved to Miami, my Abuelo had a small boat and I use to get sea sick. They loved to go out on it and always made me go at the time since I couldn't be trusted at home alone. I grew out of the sea sickness eventually, but you can also take medicine or get a bracelet for pressure points to relieve symptoms."

"Why did you steal that car?"

"Long story, short version is because I was a punk and small but I wanted to prove my value to the gangs and be big. Everyone in my neighborhood did stupid things but my parents didn't put up with my attitude or my behavior and when there punishments were no longer effective they sent me away to get me out of that life. I was a bad kid. There wasn't much I didn't try."

" Why the Army? You were two years into Rutgers."

" I was a business major and bored. I didn't feel like I was learning anything useful. I worked several jobs in high school to save for college but my grades weren't the highest because I was bored in classes. Rutgers was cheap and I could live with my parents but that got old after two years and the money ran out. My parents couldn't help me so I dropped out and joined the army because they would eventually pay me to finish school."

"You never went back though?"

"No. I enjoyed the life and was promoted quickly. I got into the Ranger's based on skills and intelligence and they taught me a lot of what I know today. I didn't see a reason to go back. Rangeman is run similarly to the way the army is run, it works."

"Smart cookie." I gave him a small kiss. I was still feeling gross. "I can't wait to get off this boat." I sighed.

"How are you going to handle Morelli when we get home?"

"Ugh that isn't going to be a fun conversation. He always hated with a passion when I was around you and never trusted you around me. He always asked me if we were sleeping together when we weren't. I never asked him if he was doing Terri while we were together but I get a feeling he was at times especially when I heard he jumped out of her window onto the fire escape from Grandma Mazur at dinner once. A gun was discharged at Terri's apartment and all she was wearing was a tiny nighty and a thong. He was working homicide, why would he take that call. I should have called him on it, but I was shot right after by that stupid dart gun from the web master and I just let it go. We fought too much already.

My end game is to be friends with him eventually or at least have a professional working relationship since our paths usually cross with each other. I think I should tell him alone so we don't have another Hawaii, but he was the one who wanted to see other women so he has no grounds to be upset but he will be because it's you. Anyone else he might have been upset but with you he will take it personally and probably get in your face or try to get you on a something stupid like a ticket. I'll make it clear to him were over and no poaching only friends and wish him luck. Hopefully I'll still get visitation with Bob. I'm thinking someone crowded like Pino's so he won't make a huge scene. But I'm guessing that won't stop him, so maybe neutral ground like a park. I don't know."

"I'll can handle Morelli, I won't hit him but I will defend myself. Please do not stun me again."

"That was kinda fun, you're always so aware of your surroundings, but I'll try not to, you did say please." I gave him a big smile. "I want to tell my family we're together maybe Connie and Lula but mostly just keep our relationship to ourselves. I like the past month, people not talking or knowing about me. I feel a lot less stressed and I know your a private person. I'm thinking of getting a second phone too and only giving the number to a few people and use my old phone number for work only." Ranger only gave me a slight nod. "Is there anyone your going to tell?"

"Tank, Rangeman, the usual. Maybe my family eventually. Julie probably since she wanted us to be together."

"Julie wanted us to date?"

"Yea she likes you a lot, and she thinks we make a good team. She's worried I'm a loner and then said all this psychology babble about living longer with a spouse then alone. She's already trying to shrink me and hasn't even gone to college for the degree." I started laughing at him.

"That would be fascinating to see someone shrink you. It would be the longest starting contest in history... I didn't spend much time with her but I liked her a lot too. Next time you visit her if you want me to come along I will if it's ok with you and her parents."

"I'd like that but we'll check with Rachel first. Having you along will help distract her from me. Your better with the small talk and shopping. I just nod when she talks about these vampires Bella and somebody and some kid name Justin something who sings and she wears his fragrance. I never know what to buy her for gifts and Rachel is no help, so Ella takes care of it for me."

"When's her birthday?"

"Mid January."

"That sucks. Anything around Christmas always means less gifts so she will be fourteen which means you were around... twenty when Rachel got pregnant. Wow. When I was twenty I was doing keg stands and dreaming in class. You both must have been afraid."

"She was scared to tell me but more afraid of her parents. We met at a party and we were both drinking, she was a little more drunk then me and the condom broke. I didn't think it was a huge deal, I was stupid and assumed she was on birth control and got her home safely then she called me a month later. Got my number from one of my cousins and I found out she wasn't on birth control. I offered to tell her parents with her. They were upset and eventually she dropped out of college to take care of the baby and got a part time job even with my financial support. Her family was just as upset with the divorce as mine." I kissed his check and hugged him tighter.

"That could have been me at sixteen. My first time was at the Tasty Pastry which I assumed you heard about and with Morelli." Ranger just gave me a small nod not looking too pleased.

"What people don't know about that story is it hurt like hell because he was moving so fast and he didn't use a condom and I wasn't on the pill. The moment he came he zipped up his pants and walked right out the door for the Navy the next day without a word. I was so freaked out I went to church constantly to pray for my period and when it came I told myself never again. I told Grandma Mazur what happened and she had me tested for Std's outside of town because she knew his reputation and helped me get on birth control and luckily I was clean but I got a really bad reputation from him writing it all over the walls.

I could have been forced to get married at 17 been a stay at home mom and not went to school. I asked Joe about it once and he said I was special which is why he didn't use one and it would have worked out better if I had gotten pregnant because then we would have already been married but he was a different person in his youth then he is today. I would have hated being with him and probably ran away with the baby."

"He was an asshole for not using protection. He wasn't the right person for you. When he meets the right woman he will understand and hopefully you can be friends again but we're together now and he needs to respect that." I looked into his eyes. He always knew what to say to me.

"I love you Carlos." Ranger kissed me deeply and lifted me onto his lap facing him. I wrapped my arms around him and felt him unbutton my pants and lower my zipper. I moved my hands down his body to his zipper and freed him then released one of my legs from my pants while Ranger untied one side of my thong that was in bows on my hips. I impaled myself on him and just let the stress melt away between us. I didn't need to hear him say the words back, he was showing me with his touch and lips that he loved me too.


	17. Chapter 17

SPOV

I was dreaming. I knew I was because Benito Ramirez was dead but I couldn't wake up. Ramirez was in my apartment chasing me. I felt him grab my arm, neck, rip open my blouse then grab my hair. I felt myself go down to the ground. I was fighting him with everything I had and then I was alone in the room laying on the hard floor.

I heard cries from the fire escape. I cautiously walked over to the open window and I saw Lula hurt all over again. Clothes ripped, her body covered in blood and bruises. I tried to help her then went back inside the apartment to look for a phone to call for help.

Then Ramirez was back and punching me over and over, I grabbed my cookie jar and smashed his head with it taking him down. I turned and saw Jimmy Alpha in my kitchen. He told me he would keep me company till the champ woke up. I tried to run out of the apartment door but he was on the other side. I tried to hit and kick him and then I felt Ramirez grab my neck and I started to scream.

I woke with a jump and Ranger was by my side in an instant. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I grabbed an empty bag and started throwing up everything in my stomach. Three-four times and then started to dry heave. Ranger just held my hair out of my face and rubbed my back. I took a few sips of water and washed my mouth then spit in into the bag.

"Babe what's wrong? Are you sick? Was it the dream?" Ranger seemed concerned. I adjusted my clothes quickly and grabbed my scarf and bag of puke and started moving out of the cabin. Ranger grabbed my arm stopping me.

"What's wrong." I could barely speak I felt like crap, I was freaked out and scared.

"Bathroom." I croaked out.

He nodded at me and made sure our disguises where in place before we entered the hall and locked the cabin door. The bathroom had a few women inside so he didn't enter but kept the door ajar to listen. I threw out my bag and sat on the toilet for a while. I didn't really have to go, but I tried anyway and just sat in there a while. I didn't want to cry in front of Ranger but the tears were running down my face anyway. I didn't have these dreams often, only when I'd have a stalker or was threatened with serve bodily harm but once in a while they would sneak into my subconscious for no reason and freak me out.

I went to the sink and washed my face and then my mouth again. The bathroom only had a few women left so I took a deep breath and fixed my scarf, then went back out. I didn't acknowledge Ranger, I just walked back to the cabin and he followed me. I really didn't want to talk about it, we never talked about these things.

"Do you need a doctor?"

"No. I'm fine now thanks. Sorry." I just looked out the window at the sea. Trying to find the denial land I use to visit often to push this back into.

"Do you want to talk about it? You were sleeping then sick. It could help." I continued looking out the window and gave a dry chuckle because it wasn't really funny.

"No. It's embarrassing." Ranger came to sit next to me. He took his hand and placed it under my chin so I would look at him.

"Nothings embarrassing between us." I sighed.

"I've never talked about it with anyone. Sometimes I had nightmares at Joe's and he would pretend not to notice, he didn't want to talk about it either. Sometimes I still dream about Ramirez and the first time I met him. He attacked me at the gym, but I'm at my apartment instead and then I see Lula all over again... how I found her and sometimes Alpha teams up with him.

I have other dreams occasionally about Con and being buried alive or Cone, a few others, sometimes they all team up together. They only get bad when I have a really bad stalker or a major threat and then I just sleep with the lights on or my gun in my nightstand. But Ramirez sometimes just comes into my mind ever when I'm not in danger. Out of all my threats he was the one that scared me more then anyone else."

"Why didn't you tell me? You could have talked to me."

"We're not big on feelings, and it made me feel weak. My denial land works for me. We use to not talk much anyway before all of this remember. When something bad happens I lock it away in that land, take a hot shower to distress then sleep and I'm usually fine.

And I don't get the dreams all the time anyway. Lula use to see a shrink at a free support group for a while after Ramirez but I don't believe in wasting the money just to talk to someone and I definitely don't want to be on medication. With the amount of people who enter my apartment, sleeping pills could get me killed. Connie thinks I need a life coach more then a shrink." I tried to make a joke out of it but Ranger was looking at me seriously.

"Shrink's aren't for everyone, they aren't my favorite. I've had to see a few to be in my field and in the Ranger's but talking with someone who gets it helps sometimes. Tank's my sounding board when I need it and when you need it I'll be yours. There is no shame, both of us have been where you are. I wish I could tell you one day it will go away but it might never. It was your first case which is maybe why it stands out in your mind the most but he was also your first real stalker. He set the bar in your mind for fear." I sat in his lap and let him hold me. I know Ranger will never talk to me about his nightmare's and I really didn't want him to relieve them with me right now.

"Now what's a life coach?" I started giggling. Of course he didn't watch Oprah.

"It's an Oprah thing she introduced a long time ago and this person comes into your life and learns everything about you and fixes it. If you hate your job or your style, your love life, issues with your family, whatever, they come in and empower you to fix it. Then you have your Oprah moment which means you realize something true about yourself or come to some revelation."

Ranger started laughing uncontrollably. "I can't believe that's a job. That singer Brenda we protected could use a life coach and several Oprah moments with a padded cell." It was true, she was a bigger hot mess then me.

"I liked her a little in the end. Seeing you covered in feathers and her repeatedly trying to talk about the size of your gun and your skill using it was worth the torture that she was. I was sorry to see her show get cancelled with her stalker psychic cousin Garry. I know you don't believe in that stuff but I saw first hand some of his predictions about her come true and it was freaky." Ranger just shook his head slightly back and forth.

"What's Tank's full name?"

"Ask him, he's a private person, he wouldn't want me talking about him."

TPOV

I'm still waiting on the names of the two Adelaide's background checks. I knew they would take a while, there were over 30 known associates and family members but I was growing impatient. My office line started ringing and I saw it was our Miami branch.

"Yo!"

"Yo Tank. We've received a few calls in our control room for Stephanie Plum from a Joesph Morelli. He said he knows she is here because of her credit card activity. I told him she was unavailable and he had a few choice words for me and left his number. I told him not to call back and waste our time. I wanted to give you a heads up her boyfriend is looking for her. I've been making the charges on her cards and so has Silvio to maintain her cover here."

"Santos he's her ex boyfriend and a pain in my ass."

"Seriously. Is Ranger moving in or is this just one of those breaks I always hear about?"

"I don't know about Ranger he does what he wants, but it sounds permanent to me. I heard Morelli is seeing other women and now has a girlfriend in town but not that long ago he told me Steph is Rangeman's problem from now on."

"I'm intrigued. I'm curling my imaginary mustache as we speak. I don't know her well, Ranger never brings her to this office but I liked her at that clean up we did, what did Ranger call it to her... a redecorating job." He started laughing on the phone.

"I still remember her face when you tossed that guy out the window, I thought for sure she was out the door after that but she stayed, I lost a damn grand to Brown. And then you let her almost get blown up and it didn't even phase her. Man I was worried Ranger was bringing in another Jeanne Ellen when I saw her at first, but she's cute in a girl next door sort of way, not an ice queen in black leather.

I heard recently Bombshell lost another car, I respect a woman who can kill 33 cars in 3 years and have 7 stolen, especially when a lot of them belonged to Ranger. Remember when he beat the crap out of me for a little scratch on the Bronco before I went to Miami. Man, and he just lets her demolish his Porsche's again and again. I'm telling you that's love, if a woman jacked up my Lambo I'd show her the door."

"How's Brown in Atlanta? I haven't heard from him in a while?"

"He's good. Likes being near his family. His sister just had another baby and he's starting to relax in his new position running the old Rangeman Atlanta and Boston offices with a few of our old investors. He told me they renamed it Titian Security.

I'm just glad we sold those offices. It was a pain in the ass dealing with some of the quality issues and having to travel out there when Ranger goes in the wind. And he seemed to be wanting to travel less and less to handle issues when Stephanie came on the scene more frequently which meant I had to go and you know I prefer the ladies in Miami."

"Yeah I know what you mean, I'm glad we dropped them too, my cats hate when I travel. I'm thinking of getting a new kitten and naming him Gotham."

Santos bust out laughing. "You should do that, it would piss him off so much. He use to hate that name and deck anyone who called it to his face since it hurt his street cred. I heard the girls at the bond's office came up with it and it spread like wild fire. I've been told I'm superman by the ladies myself and you can be the hulk, your size fits and you get these crazy veins on your neck when you're angry. We'll be our own superhero league." I grunted.

"Shut up."

"We've been plotting down here looking for some kind of case or work to make Ranger send Steph down here for a while, everyone wants to meet her in person after most of the guys at Trenton talk about her cases or getting to protect her but nothing too big comes up and when it does Ranger usually handles it. Which reminds me reviews start early January, have you heard when he will be back? I can try to push them to mid month otherwise you'll need to come down before the last week to do them." I brushed my hand over my face.

"I don't know. I've made a few calls into his status and it's a complete shut out, others won't even call me back, but I'll get word at his next check in point in two weeks."

"You sound weird what's up?"

"I found something out about Steph's past she doesn't know about and it's going to be a shit storm. I don't know how Ranger will react to me investigating either."

"What does that mean? Is she a plant?"

"No, she was adopted and she was never told and the adoption wasn't legal so I don't know where she even came from, I'm still investigating."

"Damn. Ranger might kill you for upsetting her life. You may want to just give him the information then get as far away as possible. Trust me the messenger always gets hurt. I'm the one that helped Rachel get in contact with him when she told him she was pregnant and when I went to warn him she had just called and he was so angry about the situation he saw me and he lost it. We just started hitting each other, took five guys to separate us."

"Yeah I remember hearing about it later. He hit the tequila hard the next few days and wouldn't leave his room so I had to carry him to the bathroom to keep him from pissing himself."

"At least your not taking the calls about Julie and Rachel's other kids current security. She isn't even paying for it or the alarm system at there house but she just complains about everything, even though she wanted body guards for all the kids since Scrog. Our guys look too intimidating, they have tattoos, they draw attention to the kids, they don't talk, they only wear black, their gun is exposed. There freaking bodyguards not nannies. I know Ranger deals with her calls when I tell him, but I can't take them anymore. Since I'm in charge of this office she calls me more often and it's stupid stuff. Ron doesn't even get involved with it anymore, he is just happy someone is looking out for them and he doesn't have to pay for it.

I get having a body guard for Julie because of the media coverage but the other two kids is ridiculous, I can't believe Ranger is paying for it out of his own pocket, on top of the private schooling for all three kids and child support for Julie. I think he is too generous towards Rachel. He's dealing with her shit when he comes back I'm ready to just drop her as a client. I didn't like her when she was 19, and I still don't like her now."

"I'll make a note about it in his return report to deal with her but if you drop her it will be hell the pay. Maybe we'll look into private security for her elsewhere, contract individuals that she can bother and Ranger just foots the bill. He probably won't go for it but it's an idea to free up resources and your time."

"Hooah" We both hung up on each other.

EDNA POV

Eddie Wolesky and I just entered Pino's for our dinner date and we spotted Valerie, Kloughn and there four kids in a booth.

"Hey kiddo, what's shaking?"

"Hey Grandma not much, mostly morning sickness but my cuddle umpkins just got a big malpractice case and Mary Alice is in the math club this semester." I hate that name. Dough Boy is better.

"Yeah I heard you got a bun in the oven from Helen and you made you hubby get the big snip snip, how's it feel Albert?"

"Painful. We're hoping for a boy this time. I love all my girls but I'd like a boy as our last. Who knew my swimmers were so good. Kloughn's usually have a hard time conceiving, I guess I'm just the most fertile of the bunch, not to toot my own horn too much. Toot Toot." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Good for you. This is Eddie Wolesky he lives in my building and is on Viagra. I like tooting his horn too." Valerie gasped.

"Grandma there are kids present!" She tried covering there ears.

"Just go easy on the gravy this time Valerie, I'd hate to have to contact Captain Ahab to capture you this time when you get nutty from the pregnancy hormones."

"Yeah sweetheart you do turn into a big white whale." Valerie was turning red. Dummy.

"What does that mean! I eat what the baby wants! How is it my fault I gain so much weight! It's your fault for knocking me up you messed up the condom!" O geeze

"Later kiddos." I grabbed Eddie's hand and moved us along. A few booths down Joe Morelli was with a tall blond woman holding her hand. I guess I should be polite and stop by. She was kind of pretty, looked kinda like Terri Gilman mixed with a little Stephanie. Part Italian, she had blue eyes and curly blond hair with boobs like Terri's.

"Hiya I'm Edna, you must be Joey's new girlfriend." Morelli dropped down his cop face and looked tense. She released his hand and shook mine. "This is my stud Eddie Wolesky."

"Hi I'm Ella Nuzzi. How do you know Joe?"

"O we go way back. My baby granddaughter helped solve most of his major cases. She's the Bombshell Bounty Hunter you've probably heard all about her from Joey, she is pretty famous, been in most of the papers. What do you do? Do you live in town?"

"I'm a freelance writer, I write about everything from cooking, to Pilates to decorating, sometimes news stories for different publications. I live just outside of Philly but I stay with Joe when I come down to visit. It's a nice area I'm thinking of moving down here when my lease is up at the end of the month since I can write anywhere."

"Excellent. Let me give you my number, if you want to chat or need information on the area. I live in a pretty great building right now, we could be neighbors." I gave her a big smile.

"Grandma Mazur!" I give innocent eyes to Morelli.

"Yeah Joey? Has Ella met Grandma Bella yet? I'm sure she will love her." I turn to Ella. "And don't take any stock in "the eye" bologna, it's just an old woman's delusion, it doesn't exist." Yeah and half the people I know she cursed didn't end up with hair loss right away or there periods for 3 months.

"You kids look good together, have fun." I winked at them and continued to our table to enjoy a big bowl of pasta and meatballs feeling pretty proud of myself. I started texting what I found out about Ella on my phone to everyone at the clip and curl while adding my own spin of course.

I could overhear there conversation from where I was sitting and it seemed like she was a lot more in love with him then he was with her, but I guess they did just start dating. It will be interesting to see what happens when Steph and Terri get a look at her and I hope to have a front row seat to that action. I discreetly took photos of her too and sent it to everyone. People have been guessing what she looked like since I broke the news he had a new woman and I can't believe my Hungarian luck I was the first to report it.

Carl Constanza came over to me.

"Heya Mrs. Mazur heard you took over Steph's place, how you liking it?"

"Love it, I never want to leave. Lots of sexy man friends to take as dates to the viewings and Steph's next door neighbor has a car to take me to the stores and mall. I'm hoping Steph's is on that big case of hers for a long time. I don't want to move back with my Grumpy son in law or my daughter.

"Yeah I heard about it, what's the case about."

"I can't tell you. It's real top secret with a lot of bag guys, real hush hush stuff. But if she needs me to come down and help her I will. I'm good at finding the dirt."

"Yeah I heard Morelli ran her credit card and background, it showed she made a few purchases in Miami. I miss her. I hope she comes back soon, it's been dull around here since she left. What do you think of Joe's new girl? Doesn't she remind you of someone, I can't put my finger on it."

"Steph and Terri as one woman." He looked at her again and broke out laughing.

"O geeze that's it. Wow that's pretty sick. I only briefly met her, she seems nice. I don't know, I've always liked Steph, just something special about her. I root for the underdog I guess and I've know her since we took communion together. Anyway I got to get back to the guys, it's been killing us who Ella reminds us of. I can't wait to give Joe shit about it. Later Mrs. Mazur."

SPOV

Ranger and I finally got off that damn ferry, we rented a taxi that took us near the house and then walked the few blocks left.

"Halloween is in less then two weeks but none of the shops have decorations or costumes in the windows?"

"Greece doesn't exactly celebrate Halloween except at the hostels for American tourists. They celebrate Apokries in February which is like Halloween for us except that they have a month long carnival all over and give each other cakes. There's also this Greek pumpkin pie but its with phyllo dough instead of a crust."

"No trick or treating, no costumes, no parties. Are you freaking kidding me! This is my favorite holiday more then Christmas!" I felt so disappointed. I tried to breathe through my anger but I was so mad at this situation it was completely messing with my life.

"We can try and find a party store but you may have to make your own decorations. We can watch Netflix for movies and hit the bakery."

I started muttering. "Like I'm freaking Martha Stewart let me just jump on my invisible plane and pull Halloween decorations out of my ass." I went to the couch and got into my thinking position. Ranger sat on the arm of the chair.

"I'll make you a deal. Give me some slack this year and go with the flow with what you can do for Halloween and next year I'll make sure you have tickets and a hotel room in Salem Massachusetts for there Halloween event for you and a guest."

"WHAT! You know that is the best Halloween event on the planet! There are Halloween balls, psychics, mazes, haunted houses, ghost tours, it's impossible to get tickets it sells out so quickly. I've always wanted to go but it's crazy expensive. I couldn't let you pay for me unless you were going too." He looked like he was thinking.

"I may try to go, but not in costume and if I can't for some reason you can take your Grandma or Mary Lou. Consider it my birthday gift for you next year." I jumped on top of him.

"Thank you! But it's way too much, you don't have to, a real gift for me would be you in costume though."

He kissed me to silence me. I'd complain but I really loved his lips on mine.

"How did you know about the Halloween party in Salem?"

"I had an office in Boston and one year a client wanted to take there kids and needed extra protection. I didn't go but I looked over the events and it made me think of you. I remember you telling me at dinner once you dressed up as Zorro one year."

"Zorro is the shit. I'm going to go do the laundry then take a nap. Maybe I'm coming down with something, I've felt so tired lately and not from the sex, just during the day." Ranger kissed my forehead and then went into kitchen.

RPOV

I grabbed some waters and went to the den. I still hand the memory card from Cross's phone so I placed it into my back up Sat Phone and reviewed the numbers. I wrote them down. A few I recognized for the airport, and hotel in the area that I looked at before I booked our stay.

Four of the numbers I didn't know. No other information was saved onto the card. I grabbed my hidden laptop and started looking up numbers. I tried not to use it often because it could be traced back to our location unless it was for basic research. The first number was for Hollywood California, I had a feeling that's were Cross lived, just from a rumor I heard in the past.

The number was unlisted so I went into a database Rangeman uses to research it. The number was for an office building near Hollywood that contracts out security. I wrote down the business name and moved onto the next three numbers, all coincided with travel plans and car rentals. It seems he came from California, to Virginia then Rome. I started to research the business he called, it was basic security services mostly body guard protection for celebrities and stars. Typical. I removed the card and destroyed it. Then I wiped the computer again and erased the searches I had done so it wouldn't be seen by Rangeman or anyone else.

I needed answers and I couldn't trust Cross for them. I'd have to call Tank, but if anyone was looking for Steph and they knew I was with her, they could be monitoring Rangeman's phones. It's why I always did everything in person with people and not over the phone or by text. It could be a trap for me to call, Cross knows Tank is my number two but I'd need him to get to our secure phone in the safe. I decided to take the gamble. I'm not suppose to reach out to Rangeman I could get into a lot of trouble for involving others in my mission but I only do it when I feel I have no choice.

I dialed his number on my Stat phone and waited.

"Orion. 10 minutes."

"Rodger."

We both hung up. If he didn't answer it meant it wasn't safe to talk. If he gave me a code word back it meant he couldn't get to the phone in time but he'd get it eventually when I called back later. I called that phone in the safe exactly 10 minutes later.

"Yo."

"Yo. I need you to look into who is running the home office. Find out what happen to Braxton and if I have a new handler. Be discreet but I need answers and I need to know if anyone is looking for me, or if you hear anything about SP, a price for her." SP was our code word for Steph. "I'll call back in 10 days same time." I was about to hang up and I heard him say...

"Wait!"

"SP's father knew she was safe when she was kidnapped. I investigated and long story short, a man named Ethan contacted him and said a code word "Rose" which is what Ethan use to call her so FP knew she was ok. There is a shit load of other stuff to that story but S isn't a P she was given to them by Ethan and an Adelaide. Adelaide organized it, SP's origins are unknown. I'm still investigating both leads."

"Do you have anything on Ethan? A picture, description, last name. Who knows about this?"

"No. Just the HFP." Code word for Helen and Frank Plum.

"Keep the intel close to your vest and watch your six." I hung up.

Tank didn't ask what my mission was or why I needed the information, he knew better, now I need to ask Steph what she knows about an Adelaide. It's not like I can put her on the phone with Tank and have him explain it to her, Ethan told her in his note he would explain and it was his story and right to tell her not mine. I didn't want to upset her anyway. A calm Steph is easier to contain, I don't want or need to get stunned like Hal did when she made her escape from Rangeman. I went to go look for Babe. She was resting peacefully in bed.

I decided to sit in my chair and watch over her. I did my best thinking when she slept, it centered me. Why would she be worth more money, and why did Cross get an email about her if he was telling me the truth. It could be an inside job and the information leak was suppose to draw her out of hiding so she could be taken but who knew about her file. I have high clearance and even I didn't know about her when I researched everything about her in every data base.

Maybe Ethan told someone about her and their trying to cash in now, money is a motivator. I'm running my mind with all the arms dealers I know and I haven't heard of any that had a specific child missing. They all have missing children at one time or another. Either from kidnappings, runaways, that doesn't narrow the field for me.

Ethan called Frank Plum, Tank would have tracked the number, probably a burner phone, but how did the Plums meet Ethan and Adelaide. Steph felt Ethan was a friend of her father's from the army but Adelaide organized the adoption. I already figured out it was an illegal adoption but they never told Edna. I wonder how they hid this all. They aren't the best at keeping secrets.

I let my mind rest and get into a zone to think up all the possibilities this whole situation could have happened and it just made me come up with more questions, hopefully we'll be going home at the end of October. I don't know how Steph will react if we're here more then another month, she may try to escape or call home.

I started to make up a light dinner and waited for Steph to rise. Usually when she smelled food she would wake herself. But when I needed peace and quiet it was helpful she slept like a bear.

"Feeling better?"

"Some, I'm just really tired. I'm kinda glad to be staying in this week. If we're here for much longer I'll need to get my birth control shot the second week in November. It has to be every 12 weeks but I like to go in a day or two early to not chance it."

"I noticed you have tampons but not your period lately, side effect of the shot?" Babe turned red with blush.

"Yeah it's been a great six months. I wish they had this when I was younger. So much easier to remember one day then everyday."

"I'll start checking out doctors just in case. We can hit the party store tonight, you can look around if you want."

"No, I just want to sleep. Maybe in a few days."

"I wanted to ask you something. Do you know anyone name Adelaide? Maybe one of your parents friends?" Babe thought about it for a while.

"I know an Annabelle, but no who is she?"

"I called Tank and asked him to look into information for me about Ethan and he mentioned her as a possible acquaintance of your parents but he was still tracking it down." She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. Adorable.

"That's total crap! Why do you get to call Tank and I can't talk to anyone. Is Rex ok? My Grandma? My family? Is my apartment still ok? It tends to catch fire a lot."

"Everyone's fine. I called Tank because he can keep his mouth shut unlike your family." She rolled her eyes at me.

"True. I think I'm starting to get a bit home sick."

"We'll be home as soon as we can. Try to enjoy it here while you can because we might not be back for a long time." Babe just sighed and continued to eat.


	18. Chapter 18

TPOV

I've been making calls all week to old friends and anyone that owes me or Ranger a favor from helping them in the past. I was getting blocked out at every turn. No one wanted to open there mouth for fear of consequences and on more then one call I was hung up on.

That told me there were changes happening and no one wanted to get put in the spot light by talking. I looked into Braxton's death. Newspaper's reported it was a car accident caused by intoxication. That wouldn't be hard to fake, cars can be made to look how you need with the right time. Most poisons can be placed in drinks then mask themselves in autopsy's unless someone specifically tests for specific compounds.

I remember John Braxton. A hard ass who I wouldn't mind killing myself. He usually supervised debriefs and did the dirty work for the company. He was the General's number two before we started doing missions and would carry out orders swiftly and at times painfully. There could have been several people who would want to killed him. Another operative with a grudge, someone inside the company that felt he was leaking information or someone who wanted his position.

The intoxication story doesn't fly with me, he was a stickler in our line of work. Drinking leaves you weak and vulnerable, things he would never do. He lived for the control and power. I feel like his death is a message but I'm not sure who it's for yet. A warning to stay in line from the company or a warning to the company. This is why I got out in the first place. I got sick and tired of coming home beat up, dealing with bullshit debriefs and psych evals, only to do it again after a few months. I prefer routine and coming home to the same place and not jumping out of those damn choppers with an 80 lb pack on my back just to eat bugs in a jungle and sleep on the ground. My office phone buzzed, reception.

"What."

"A Jeanne Ellen Burrows to see you, she doesn't have an appointment." Great what does she want now.

"Have an escort take her to the conference room on that level. Make sure she isn't left alone until I arrive." I hung up. She is a bigger pain in my ass then Morelli. She thinks she is big and tough, can run with us but covers her own ass every chance she gets.

I took the elevator to the ground floor and entered the conference room. She was sitting down at the head seat with her feet on the table, legs crosses all in black. Leather boots, leather pants, deep v neck shirt with a leather jacket. Her blond hair was straight and in a pony tail with a cool expression on her face.

"Tank, long time no see. Still as handsome as a hermit crab." She gave me a big smile. I walked over and pushed her feet off my table. No respect. She never had any respect from the moment I met her.

"What do you want?"

"I heard you were looking for information and I'm willing to supply some." She never does anything out of the goodness of her heart.

"What information?"

"Tsk. Tsk. Instead of you throwing that bounty hunter some of your cases, I want them from now on, a partnership."

"No. We don't work with you for a reason. We tried that in the past and it blew up in our faces."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I like to take the initiative and work alone. Although Ranger has been a great teacher in the past." She said it seductively and wistful.

"If Ranger was here right now I'd be talking to him and I'm sure he'd want my information but I heard he's in the wind. So I'm stuck with you."

"You've been out of the game a long time, longer then me. You don't know shit. And I wouldn't trust cases to you. Our clients need someone reputable. Our agreement in the past has been information for information nothing else. I have orders not to work with you in any capacity without Ranger's approval and lets face it, it's not happening."

"Is this because I fucked around with that embarrassment that calls herself a bounty hunter on the Soder case? She was in my way, you would have done the same thing."

"No. You call her an embarrassment but her capture rate is much higher then yours. Jealous doesn't look good on you Jeanne. What happen to women sticking together? Or is it because Ranger mentored her and wouldn't give you the time of day afterwards?"

"I'm not jealous. I have skills she will never have. Money, reputation and she has a shitty apartment and car she can't even keep while needing a hero every five minutes saving her ass. It's pathetic. Don't you get tired of it Tank? I'm sure a lot of work falls on your shoulders because of her."

"At least she isn't a conniving bitch like you. So either talk or I'll drag your ass out by your hair. Don't think I forgot I got shot on a Rangeman job because of you."

She flipped her pony tail behind her back and smiled. "That wasn't my fault you weren't fast enough to move."

"Three, two, one."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. I was fucking someone recently who still works for the company, said people are disappearing, others are being replaced. He told me he thinks Braxton's death was by the company for being dirty. Any information leaks from now on will be dealt with swiftly."

"Nothing I didn't know already. Seems like you wasted a bj for worthless information. Maybe you should try hooking on Stark to improve your skills for some real intel in the future instead of worthless scraps." I started chuckling. She was getting red and had her hands in fists.

"Ranger didn't seem to complain about my skills." She gave a knowing smile.

"He fucked you once. I know that for a fact because the guys and I asked if he double bagged. You didn't have a relationship no matter how hard your tried to impress him or continue to try and work with him. You couldn't cut it, that's why we dropped you. I bet you were the one to spread those rumors that you had a relationship with him and were living together at one point when he started to mentor Steph. I bet you tried to intimidate her away, because we both know they were lies. You must not be as good of a fuck as you think if he didn't return for more." She tried to take a swing at me and I grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. I started walking her to the front door in the lobby.

"Who'd you drop you panties for anyway Link? Dylan?" I started laughing at her to make her more upset.

"Cross asshole, I'm going to kick your ass."

"Bring it. You've been warned in the past, you fuck with Rangeman we fuck with you and that includes Stephanie." I got right in her ear and said in a deadly voice "Cross the line again and you will be eliminated. I'll take the pleasure myself." I opened the door and pushed her out. She fumed all the way back to her car. I needed to wash my hands, I bet she is covered in shit I don't want.

"I want a tail on her now. She steps out of line I want to know. She is not to be in this building again unless she has an appointment."

"Yes Sir."

And that is what is wrong with Jeanne Ellen Burrows, she is good but not perfect. Get her angry enough and she runs her mouth off. I got what she knew and by who without anything in return.

I touched my arm in the elevator. I remember coming to Trenton and starting our business with Ranger. It was Ranger's idea and he wanted to raise capital with investor support but have us run with controlling interest. We decided to make the most amount of cash in a short time by bounty hunting, body guarding, cleaning up the bad apples out of apartment buildings for land lords among other services. In the beginning our team was Ranger, me, Bobby Brown, Lester Santos and at one point we had Jeanne Ellen try out to see if she would make a good employee. She was new to Trenton and Les Sebring asked Ranger for a favor in mentoring her.

Ranger agreed because it was always good to have someone in your debt in this town. Jeanne Ellen already had a military background and ran missions for a few years before she burned out and couldn't cut it anymore. She ended up doing private security in New York for a while then Les Sebring offered her a job doing his high bonds and private investigating. Ranger mentored her on cases for a month and even helped work with her on a missing child case. She loves a cause to get all the glory and increase her reputation while Rangeman prefers a low profile.

At the end of mentoring her he fucked her because she was all over him. Ranger use to be like that before he met Steph. One night stands when the urge hit him and then he made a point not to sleep with a woman more then a few times because no matter what they said they would get clingy towards him. He had a firm no relationship rule and women would agree then get territorial or needy about the time he spent with them. He never spent the night either.

Ranger thought because of Jeanne Ellen's background he could fuck her then they both would move on. He was impressed with most of her skills at the time and thought it would be handy to have a woman employed with us. He offered her a try out with his business. She did a few distractions and would try to take the skip on all by herself, getting injured or going out the wrong door just to prove she didn't need us. Eventually we stopped using her that way.

We tried her on a warehouse redecorating job and the people living inside were armed. No one wanted her along but we needed an extra body and Ranger said it was her last shot. I was suppose to be her partner and she ran off at one point instead of watching my back getting me shot in the process. Ranger was pissed and we all agreed never to use her again and only exchange intel between her and us from now on. It didn't help that after any job she'd try to hang off Ranger. It amused me at times because he was not having anything to do with her. Our running joke was she would scream her own name during sex when she came instead of her partner just to get the glory.

Rangeman continued to operate in Trenton without interference from her, sometimes passing information on cases or skips back and forth but when Ranger found out Stephanie was on one side of the Soder case and she was on the other we were both concerned. Everyone in Trenton knows Steph teams up with us and if you mess with her your messing with Ranger himself. I heard Jeanne tried to intimidate Steph, stole her car and threatened to shoot at her to leave the case alone. When Ranger heard about this I was in the car with him, he called Jeanne in a deadly voice telling her Steph was under his protection and if she did anything else to her, he'd start making her life harder.

Ranger made sure to stay out of the cat fight that was brewing between them until it was necessary to intervene. Later Jeanne Ellen tried to pacify him by telling him she saw Annie Soder at the airport when she was catching her flight to Puerto Rico but she already put the nail in her coffin with Ranger and has been wise to stay out of his way professionally. She still tries to sleep with him or touch him and it's pathetic. He tells her he's not interested and now just glares at her to leave him alone.

I guess that's why I like Steph more. She doesn't hang off Ranger in public or get territorial. She does her job well and is a team player or takes direction as necessary. She may not have Jeanne's training but she has a lot more class and investigative skills while being more amusing to be around. I remember sitting in the car when I heard Steph complain to Ranger about how perfect Jeanne Ellen was compared to her and it made me laugh.

She is good but definitely not perfect. Ranger enjoyed Steph's jealousy over Jeanne, it probably fed his ego at the time but we both know we'd pick Steph over her any day. Hearing she was screwing Cross was a headache. I didn't hear about him in town which means they met up somewhere. He is a pain in the ass. Now I need to figure out her whereabouts in the last few weeks and see if she leaked anything about Ranger and Steph to him. If that's the case, he will kill her himself.

I fob into Ranger's office and went to his filing cabinet, after Jeanne messed with Steph, Ranger and I worked up information on her to use in the future if necessary. I sat in his chair to review. She lived in a townhouse near the Hamilton side of Trenton and uses her own version of a security system. Camera's, sensors inside and out. I could make a call to have her take a job out of town then go in with a crew.

I'm sure Hector could over ride her system. I could take out her camera's and Ramon can crack any safe she has. I looked over her numerous alias's Ranger and I complied and started running them through background checks to figure out her whereabouts and when she came into contact with Cross. She thinks she is the best but Ranger pegged all her accounts, safety deposit boxes and aliases in a week flat.

I picked up my phone and dialed an old friend of Ranger's from Florida.

"Hello."

"Marco, Ranger's calling in that favor. I'm giving you the number for a woman, make sure she is busy for a week. I need her out of town. Jeanne Ellen Burrows have her look over a case of yours, she loves a cause, higher profile the better for her, afterwards your call if you keep her on or drop her ass."

"Done."

I picked up my phone again. And looked through my contacts.

"Hello."

"We need to meet. Shorty's 20 minutes?"

"Sure."

I went back to my office and pulled out an envelope and started placing eight grand in cash inside. I printed off a picture of Jeanne Ellen and a list of her safety deposit boxes in the area and two outside of town. I left Rangeman and went to Shorty's to wait for Benny. He had many skills, getting into people's bank accounts with high security was one of them. He also knows a few ladies who can pose as customers to clean out safety deposit boxes.

"What's up?"

"I have a job for you, half now the rest when I get what I want. I need you to go to all of these locations after you secure her password from the online bank records and have your girl empty everything out of them, any cash, jewelry is yours to split with the girl. I just want any papers in side all of these boxes. Her picture's in the envelope so you pick someone appropriate." I smiled a little.

"She must have pissed in your cheerios. Do you want me to empty all of her accounts after it's done?"

"Not yet."

"Always a pleasure."

I gave him a nod and ordered my lunch. My day was starting to perk up.

RPOV

I've waited 10 days to talk to Tank. I hope he has answers for me. I eventually took Steph to a party store and she found orange and black plates, table cloths, napkins and streamers. She explained to the woman at the store what she was trying to do and although she didn't have any items in stock for Halloween, she offered to create some for her once she looked online about what Steph was talking about. We go back today to pick everything up. The owner seemed like a talented artist and creative so Steph took a chance on her.

Just in case it didn't work out well, I put in a special order at the bakery for different desserts for Halloween and contacted Cartier to make up a few new charms for her bracelet. The closer it seemed to get to Halloween the more glum she became. I think she was upset about missing the holiday with her grandma, it was her tradition, while I usually was on monitors that night hoping Steph would send me a picture of her costume to fantasize about later. Halloween is a big day for kids to pull pranks on houses and businesses. Alarms are always getting set off. Steph also tracked down a gourmet sweet shop but it wasn't like her usual candy.

She picked a few different flavors and packed them away to wait for the day. As far as her costume she was frustrated. She won't tell me what she is going to be but goes into her closet most nights trying to figure out something to wear that day. She has decided that we will spend all day watching Halloween movies while she eats candy and cakes. I'd normally make a comment but the desserts are on the healthier side and the sugar in the candy is nothing compared to what she would eat back in Trenton. I checked on Babe and found her asleep on the couch watching a movie. I moved into my den to call my number two.

"Yo."

"Report."

"Braxton was killed to send a warning to all by the home office. Rumor is for leaking confidential documents. Information is tight, everyone is on egg shells, several people have disappeared from what I can gather but you have the same handler as far as I can tell according to Reese. I haven't heard anything about SP but Cross was screwing Jeanne Ellen a few weeks ago in a hotel just outside of Virginia while following a lead on a case. I traced her Emily Windsor alias to the hotel and checked the cameras, it was an hour in and out, they left separate." Damn. If she sold me and Steph out I will skin her alive.

"Her safety deposit boxes have been cleared out without her knowledge, passports and id's in them, no other papers. Items have been documented in her file then destroyed. From what she told me, Cross told her things were changing at the home office and he didn't think Braxton's death was an accident things I have heard elsewhere. You know she likes to screw people for information to feel important and useful so she can call you. She still has a hard on for you, and is jealous of SP from my face to face but fears us enough not to act out towards her publicly.

I don't think she will sell you out but SP is another story. I think she had some involvement in our Russian problem not that long ago. She seemed to take pleasure in our troubles at that time. I wouldn't put it past her to get SP out of the way if she could get away with it without you knowing. Unknown if Jeanne knows your past with Cross, it was way after her time. Best guess is she came across him a few years ago in NY when she worked for that private security firm, it was filled with a lot of old players that could have introduced the two. Cross's whereabouts are unknown at this time. The Ethan research is at a dead end and a temporary stall with Adelaide. A few of her relatives are missing in documents, it's suspicious and needs further investigation."

I had to think a moment. "Shadow her, react as necessary, she got her warning already. I'll call back 10 days." I hung up. I felt angry inside. I pulled off my shirt then went into my closet and pulled out my punching bag while grabbing my gloves. I started hitting the bag in rapid punches and knee kicks. I was so focused hitting the bag, picturing Cross I lost track of time and I didn't hear Steph come in. I felt her eventually and turned around. Her eyes were wide and then she saw my face and checked out my body turning herself on. She licked her lips unconsciously.

"We have to leave in 30 minutes to pick up the decorations. Are you ok? You're beating the crap out of that bag." She walked into the room and stood in front of me. When I got this angry I didn't like her around me, I would never hurt her but I didn't want her to see this side of me and be afraid. Being close to her was lowering my temper slowly but not enough.

"I'll shower and we can go." I started taking off my gloves. She smiled.

"Can I join you?" I shook my head.

"I don't think I can be gentle, I don't want to hurt you." She seemed to think about it as I left the room. Just as I got in she opened the curtain naked.

"I trust you. Fast and hard." She kissed me and grabbed my erection massaging it quickly between her hands. That is all it took. I grabbed her and lifted her against the wall. I sucked on her neck and breasts and barely checked her wetness between her legs. I removed her from the wall and turned her around bending her over so her ass was in the air leaving her head near her toes.

In one thrust I started pounding into her. Babe was trying to push back into me. You could hear our skin hitting together while the warm water surrounded our bodies. I just grabbed her hips harder and bucked her tighter against me. I felt her cum by the gush of wetness and her squeezing me tight like a fist, it set me off. I was holding Babe up by her hips. I pulled out and twisted her around to check and see if she was ok.

"We should do that more often." She had a lazy smile and I felt relieved. I shouldn't have done that. I started soaping her body and kissing her lightly where I left a few hickey's.

"Stop, I enjoyed it." She looked in my eyes. "It's my new fantasy when were apart that will keep me warm at night." She kissed me deeply. I felt the beast go back into the shadows and just wanted to lose myself in her again.

"We have to go, otherwise I'd stay here longer too." She grabbed a towel on shaky legs and I wanted to beat myself up but at the same time compliment myself for making her walk funny. I like knowing she feels where I've just been. I'm such a bastard.

SPOV

I put on a dress because I'm afraid to balance on one leg to get into my pants. I was a little nervous about the decorations too. I just wanted to be in the spirit for my favorite day. I'm still debating about my costume. I thought I could be a goddess in a white off the shoulder dress with my gladiator sandals or a sexy Marry Poppins but I am still figuring it out. It was frustrating but I still had some time. I know Ranger likes plans and strategies so I appreciated him working with me on Halloween instead of blowing it off like Joe always did. Joe only cared about my sexy costume and what it would look like on the floor of his room.

I can't help thinking about missing my tradition this year with Grandma Mazur. She is getting older and this has been our tradition to dressed up together and give out candy since high school. I know one day I might have a kid and things will change but I like being with her even though she is nutty, we make a good pair. I've tried to think about how I'm going to tell Joe about Ranger, but I don't see a good way where he won't at least be a little upset. I want to just tell him by phone but I know he will just show up to talk to me.

I don't know what happen to him. He use to fear commitment as much as me, but I guess me taking life as it comes bothered him. He always had a plan. Ranger always has multiple plans but he was leery of commitment like me. I guess the difference is Ranger adapts to changes as they come and Joe only does that when he wants to.

I squeezed Ranger's hand while we were walking and gave him a smile. He still uses his blank face in public but his eyes always soften towards me. Spending so much time with him has let me read him better. I still can't always decipher his grunts or expressions but I've come a long way in three years where he isn't a total enigma anymore.

I entered the shop and saw several shopping bags full of stuff on the counter. Ranger translated for me and explained what was in each bag and she showed me pictures of the stuff she made before she packed it away. It was all gorgeous. We couldn't get pumpkins so she made them out of fabric and stuffing, it was perfect. Some she even made faces on. She made a few spiders and some webs, a ghost and different things to hang around on the walls. I had a big smile of my face.

"Perfect! These are the nicest decorations I have ever seen! Your magic!" Ranger translated and she jumped up and down and started clapping. We said our good byes and started to walk home carrying everything.

"Thanks Batman, this means a lot to me."

"No price Babe." I've heard him say this to me many times in the past, but I was really starting to get it now. The money didn't matter, we supported each other no matter the circumstances.


	19. Chapter 19

Spov

Ranger and I were at the shooting range today. Since we have to stay closer to home we have increased range and self defense training to fill our days following our return from Rome. I'd rather be doing other things but it's better then being inside all the time. Today at the range, Ranger put up a whole paper man's body and had me working on specific shots to wrists, knees, shoulders and arms. In a bright marker he circled major arteries for me to keep in mind.

My shots to the head and heart were getting more accurate, so Ranger decided to focus on other parts of the body that I was more likely to hit while bounty hunting. Next time he is having me work on moving targets too. Ranger left me to my own practice and worked with his glock and sniper rifle. I watched in fascination as he shot his initials into the paper man's chest and head using both weapons. Ranger looked at me eventually watching him.

"When the zombie apocalypse happens like on "The Walking Dead," you're on my team." Ranger smirked.

We had just started watching the first season a few days ago and I could tell Ranger had a full plan for himself in the first five minutes, he just fell into his zone. After the first episode I turned to him and had to hear it.

He told me he would give his men the option to stay or go and if they stayed they could bring there immediate families. He would have the men buy all the ammo and weapons in Trenton along with all canned goods, seeds and medication they could get there hands on, as well as fuel and secure it in Rangeman. Then he would secure the whole street on Hayward with fencing creating a perimeter while having traps all along the road before anyone could reach the fence.

Each floor in Rangeman would be secured with a fingerprint scanner and id access while the monitors would be watched 24/7 inside and outside for any breach. I asked him if I would be invited into Rangeman with my family and he agreed but said Grandma Mazur and Kloughn would never get passed the second floor. That made me laugh and I understood.

He also mentioned borrowing a helicopter or two from the Trenton PD and having Ella start a garden on the roof. He had crazy plans to trap rain water and purify it into drinking water for everyone. Those who couldn't follow commands would be sent away with rations to fend for themselves until Trenton could be cleaned up of all the zombies. He felt most of his men would hunt down the zombies any way on supply runs so it wouldn't take that long, the real danger would be other groups trying to invade there compound, but that was a hole other intense plan. It was fun seeing that side of him and oddly nice to know if a real emergency ever did happen in Trenton, that I was apart of his plan.

We practiced for another hour at the range but I couldn't shot my initials in the paper chest with my baby glock no matter how much I tried. Ranger took me to the gym afterwards and practiced attacking me with a fake knife.

"Better Babe. Your defense has improved but your expecting it. I'm going to start surprise attacking you to give you practice from now on. Don't give me that look, you won't hurt me. "

"I know I'm just tired. It's been a long day. I need some baklava to make me happy." I'd prefer a jelly doughnut but that wasn't handy.

Ranger drove us home then walked me to the bakery that I frequented almost as much as the Tasty Pastry. There was an argument going on inside. Two women, one I recognized as the owner, was fighting with someone else. I went up to the counter and ordered my baklava along with some fresh bread and other treats. I saw a tray of samples so I tried a few, letting a few moans spill out. The two women turned around and walked towards me while my order was being filled. Ranger tensed. They were speaking in rapid Greek and pointing at me.

"Which one is better?"

Before Ranger could stop me, I pointed. They started screaming at each other again and pulling other trays for me to try. Ranger spoke to them both in Greek shaking his head and continuing to say no among other words I didn't know. Then he spoke to the person filling our order in Greek with a harsh tone.

"Babe. Don't eat anything else, you're getting involved in a family vendetta that we have no business in. Get the order and let's go." The women kept coming at me with trays and Ranger kept saying no and glaring.

An old woman came out from the back room and everyone became silent. She sent the two women away and everyone all of a sudden wouldn't make eye contact with her but she was giving me a funny look.

The woman behind the counter started whispering to me. "Don't make eye contact. She is a seer, she predicts the future and it's not always good." I started getting a Grandma Bella flashback. I was afraid I'd get the eye, so I focused on paying then getting out as fast as possible while hiding behind Ranger.

"She doesn't have the eye too? Does she?"

"No that's a Sicilian thing. She doesn't curse people, she only gets feelings and visions if you look into her eyes and she touches you." That made me feel better. I thanked the woman and left quickly while the old woman sat in the corner watching us.

"Babe didn't I warn you about getting involved in fights."

"I ate some free samples that was not my fault. I didn't know the old woman had powers. Thank God she doesn't give the eye or I know she would have cursed me. I have crappy luck, it would happen to me."

"There is no such thing as the eye. It's just an old woman and coincidence. The mind is a powerful thing. If someone you believe in tells you your sick then you'll get sick."

"You don't get it. I've seen her curse people. They loose all of there hair or get a million zits."

"She could have slipped something to people to cause hair loss or the person could stress themselves out over a fake curse then there body creates a response."

"She cursed me with Vordo and I became a big horn dog with you." Ranger gave me a big smile.

"We've always had a sexual attraction and chemistry. Thinking you were cursed helped your mind relax and enjoy the passion between us... I still think of you every time I'm in the turbo and pass an alley. You weren't cursed when we were at the beach in the water and that was even more public.

I blushed. Ranger did bring out a more wild side in me but I still believed in the eye. I knew too many people she cursed not too. Even though I wasn't with Morelli anymore, Grandma Bella had her own hatred of me. Ever since I tried to bring in Sunny, Joe's godfather as well as her constant war with Grandma Mazur, I'd never be safe.

"As my boyfriend if Grandma Bella tries to curse me, you have my permission to shoot her. Don't kill her, just graze her to leave me alone."

"Babe if she tries, I'll stand in front of you so she can't even see you, just to prove it's bogus." I didn't want Ranger to be cursed but if he was willing to take the bullet I wouldn't stop him either. Maybe it would prove to him that it does exist.

Ranger grabbed his book while I went into the kitchen. I didn't even hear him come in when I felt him grab me from behind. I maneuvered out of his grasp and pushed him away. I knew he'd test me but I didn't expect it so soon.

"Good." He kissed me and took the water from my hand and left the room. I went to soak in the bath, my muscles were exhausted and I felt dehydrated, so I grabbed an extra bottle and locked myself in.

I thought about my plans when I got back to Trenton. The first thing I had to do was get Rex back from Ella. He will miss her taking care of him, I can only imagine the snacks and soft bedding he has been receiving, but I hope he will want to live with me again. I missed the sound of his wheel while he ran on it. Sometimes at night I would wake up confused that I couldn't hear him.

I've also thought about how Ranger wants us to live together when we go back. I don't see him wanting to stay at my place often even with a alarm system. He has all the amenities, food and Ella at Rangeman but I'd feel weird not contributing even though I can barely pay rent at times. I know that we will eventually have a small fight about expenses. Ranger likes to take care of me but I like taking care of myself.

I've been burned too many times to depend on someone else. I never want to go back to being homeless and poor like after my divorce. I was lucky I still had my job and family close by at the time or I would have been stuck in that marriage. Maybe I'll just stay the nights Ranger is there and bring some things over to his place for his closet and leave the rest at my apartment. Things are easier here. We don't have commitments to anyone but each other and I know once we go back to Trenton time and issues are going to arise where we both might need our own spaces at times.

It's still a mind trip Ranger and I live this well together. I always thought it was me who couldn't live with anyone but I'm starting to think it was everyone else. After getting Rex and checking in on my apartment, I should stop by and see my family, then Mary Lou and lastly the bonds office to get cases and make sure I still have a job. I'll leave Morelli til the end. I hate borrowing Big Blue but I don't want to trash another of Ranger's cars since we're dating now. I'll just borrow Blue til I can afford my own. Once I get money back in my account and pay back Tank for my expenses I'm going to splurge like there is no tomorrow at Clunk in the Bucket, Pino's and the Tasty Pastry. Food is my security blanket and I have really missed my favorites.

Halloween is in a few short days and I finally finished decorating. Ranger hung up the ghosts on the ceiling last week and despite it being the two of us, I'm looking forward to the day. Maybe my Halloween gift this year will be us returning home.

Thanksgiving is coming up and I enjoy all the extras my mother makes, along with all the pies. I hope Ranger will want to join me at my parents house but eventually I'd like to meet his. I feel like I'd understand him better if I met the people who raised him. I'm also curious what he looked like growing up. He said he use to look like a small girl because of his long hair and I'm dying to see those pictures, maybe snag a copy for myself.

I looked down at my body and I was a giant prune but the water was perfect. I got out of the tub and put on one of Ranger's t-shirts while I stretched on the floor and listened to more of his Rosetta Stone Greek Cd's. I don't think I'll ever be fluent but it kept me busy at night when Ranger would work out or do his own things. I'm thinking about getting one for Spanish so I know what he says to people on the phone or to Tank when I'm around.

Rpov

I found Babe in her thinking position on the bed listening to my language Cd's and practicing. She is too hard on herself, but people interact with her if they speak slowly to her. I think it annoyed her that she couldn't understand people we came in contact with at times. She has such an outgoing personality it fueled her to learn. People were drawn to her from all walks of life including me. Most of her FTA's she now calls a friend. I checked out her long legs and admired her thighs in my shirt.

"Looking good Babe." I took off my clothes and crawled into bed with her.

"Worst case scenario we're here for another month. What's the plan then for Thanksgiving? I have a feeling we have two different ideas and a different country to take into account. What do you usually do?"

"I give most of my employees off, call in contract workers who are available and work monitors with Tank all day. Ella leaves out a healthy feast."

"I usually watch the parade on tv then get ready for my parents place and stuff my face with everything and take home a boat load of left overs and dessert. Sometimes depending on money I wake up and go black Friday shopping with Val or Grandma Mazur for the best sales. If we're home in time would you stop by possibly at my parents for dinner?"

"I'll try. It depends on the coverage available." That's a big maybe. She might not even talk to her parents after speaking to Ethan. I may have to come any way so she doesn't kill anyone.

"And I guess if we're still here, what's the plan? Takeout?" She looks disappointed.

"No. I'll cook. I'll figure something out."

"You know how to cook a turkey?" She asked with a disbelieving look.

"No. I know how to read directions, it shouldn't be hard." Babe started laughing.

"At least it's not me. I'd kill us both with salmonella poisoning."

I won't be surprised. She use to think she could make BBQ sauce with ketchup and pepper once with Lula.

"Babe you excel at many things but cooking isn't what I'm interested in. We will have Ella so we can do more important things." My hand went under her shirt and massaged her breasts, grazing her hard nipples.

I whispered into Babe's ear "I've traveled a lot in my life, I want to show you pleasure you've never experienced before. Teach you ways we both can heighten our pleasure together, but you'll need to keep an open mind and we can stop anytime you feel uncomfortable. You have all the power tonight." She shivered and looked at me with lust in her eyes.

"Ok but no butt stuff." I'd have to work her up to it gradually to make her feel comfortable.

"Not tonight but eventually I'd like to introduce you to elements of anal you'd find pleasurable. Your afraid of the pain but I will make sure it's nothing but pleasure when your ready, but I'd like you to trust me and keep an open mind when the time comes." Babe was chewing her lip.

"I really don't want it to hurt and your not small. Maybe in time but I'm not ready." I kept massaging her body with my hands and placing little kisses on her body then touching my tongue to those spots.

"I'd never hurt you, I just want us to have the most pleasure possible, we've barely hit the surface but tonight we'll start out slowly." I took off her shirt and decided to go down on her to relax her into a more comfortable state of mind. She was more open if she was relaxed and not actively thinking. I planned to start her slowly, introduce her to some tantric sex then a few things on the kinkier side, nothing extreme, just elements to wet her curiosity.

TPOV

I've had men watching Jeanne Ellen since her visit to Rangeman. Marco dropped her help after a week in Florida and she came home to do some high bonds for Les Sebring. She hasn't even realized I've cleaned out her reserves and back up id's. The only safe I left untouched was the one in her home but I documented everything she had inside and searched her home for anything hidden.

She was at least bright enough to not leave her papers lying around and her computer empty. I placed a few listening devices around her home hidden in outlets and surge protectors in every room. I knew if I interrogated her about Cross she'd just run to him to know why, so I bugged her instead.

She's lost some of her paranoia. Ranger and I sweep for bugs in our homes almost daily and it's been over week without any sweeps from her. Stupid. I even had Hal break into her car and hook one up into her sound system with a tracker. Even if she did find them, I made sure they were from radio shack so it wouldn't pinpoint to Rangeman by the quality.

She mostly worked nights but got around bed hoping at different hotels every few days for different sources of information for her cases around Trenton. Those that didn't peak her fancy, she threatened or paid off. I got a report she made eyes at Morelli and gave him a show at the Trenton PD in her tight leather. She flirted with him but he ended up mentioning his new girlfriend and she backed off. Garza told me his girlfriend Ella was a great cook and made lunch for Joe to take to work the weeks she's in town as well as dinners. She's stopped by the police station to drop off trays of cookies too for all the guys.

I hope he gets a huge gut from eating too much. Rumor is they are practically living together these days and she is taking Bob to obedience classes when she isn't writing. She is even attending church with his mother and grandmother when he is working on Sunday's. It seems like she is trying too hard to me. The Burg is split on Ella too. I have a feeling Grandma Mazur is involved. Mrs. Plum is heart broken Joe's moved on, while Grandma Mazur is thrilled.

Helen Plum has cut back her drinking since our conversation I've been told, but I've slipped into her mailbox AA pamphlets and names of therapist's in the area that deal with loss. I left the information in an envelope with no return address but I think she needs help. It seems like she has never dealt with her loss and projected all of her feelings onto Steph. I'd normally not get involved but if she took the step on her own it may help her rebuild with Steph in the end. I hate shrinks myself but in this case, I don't see her opening up to her husband or mother to deal with her underlining issues.

I think I'm getting soft. In the past I'd never get this involved in an investigation but I've grown to care for Steph which was unexpected. At times I catch myself checking her trackers as much as Ranger does just to see what she is up too. She hits the mall way too much in my opinion. How many shoes does that girl need. I've seen her closet it's too many.

"Yo."

"Tank it's Silvio. I've been tracking down Adelaide's missing relative. Before coming to Fort Dix and going to school for nursing, she married Charlie Wyndam. Met him in high school in Virginia and her maiden name was Billings. Her mother married Andrew Billings, however it was his second marriage not first.

Things were altered to hide the first marriage, it doesn't show up unless you back track hospital records. His first wife had a son, Calvin Kingston-Billings, after the divorce he dropped his father's name and kept his mother's maiden name. His records have been erased and there is no trace of him in any system after he graduated high school. I've contacted Adelaide's former husband Charlie and he said she was close to her mother but not her father, however she did keep in some contact with her brother, not close but a call once in a while.

Charlie never met the brother and he wasn't at there wedding, Adelaide said he was in the army but I couldn't find any record of him anywhere. It's the only suspicious thing I could find on either Adelaide's. I think the Army nurse with the other spelling is a dead end. I'm running Calvin Kingston-Billings and both names separately but only recent records are showing up for that name, nothing from that time period. You may have to make some calls yourself.

"Rodger."

I started going through my military contacts, our research programs should have brought up his military record unless he was in special operations or in a high position. Those people like Ranger would go back and get rid of documents to hide there identity, it made it easier to operate in plain sight.

I found someone who I served with in the Ranger's who still had ties to service records not available.

"What."

"I'm calling in your debt. Calvin Kingston-Billings, sister to Adelaide Billings then Wyndam, mother Charlotte Kingston, father Andrew Billings. Army, Caucasian, high school in Virginia. I want full background and anyone by the name of Ethan as an associate. Both are ghosts."

"Call you back."

He was the only person I could call. Not many people had the access he did and it would take him time to not cause any suspicion on himself. My line started ringing. Control room.

"What."

"There's a Rachel Maritime on the line for you, she said Santos gave her your number. Do you want me to tell her your away from the office?" I'm going to kill Santos. That little shit. I'm hoping to do the reviews in January now just to punch his face in.

"Fine. Put her through." I just sighed and rubbed my face with both hands after I put her on speaker phone. I'm not best with upset woman. That's Ranger's department, he just smiles and they forget what the problem is or we send Santos to smooth it out with his outgoing personality. If he couldn't reign Rachel in, I didn't have a chance. I tend to be rough and blunt.

"Hello Tank."

"Yeah."

"It's Rachel Maritime. Listen I've been talking with Lester Santos and I'm just not comfortable with the level of security for my kids. I'm not trying to be a pain in asking too much, there is a real threat against my kids now and I just want friendly bodyguards in khakis or a suit with no visible tattoos, who speak to our friends or other children and don't have exposed weapons. I also want them to keep a distance when Ron and I are alone with them. And I want reports on the children when there watching them. It would also be helpful if I'm running late or stuck with one of the kids that they could just take them home for me instead and wait with them till I get there.

They don't listen to me or talk to me and they don't report to me the children's whereabouts. I don't know where you find these guys but you need to have Lester get us better men. It's a joke who they send here, I'm not comfortable with any of them. I know none of you have children but I'm really concerned and Lester doesn't take my concerns seriously and Ranger's always away. I tried calling him already but he doesn't live in this state, he isn't here everyday to understand my concerns. I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall."

"First off. All the men we have are former soldiers who have been assigned to you, the least intimidating and the ones who have had experienced around children due to siblings or other family members, so learn some respect for them. And only one of them had a tattoo, I looked into it already and it was a flower with his wife's name in it, not a gang symbol. The men answer to Rangeman not you. You knew that when Ranger explained it to you, when he first assigned them. They are not baby sitters they are there for your children's protection. If you don't like it, you are welcome to stop using our body guard services and find someone on your own to pay out of your own pocket who answer to you directly."

"That would cost us a fortune and you know I'm a stay at home mom and Ron is a plumber. We could never afford that. We wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for Scrog and now everyone remembers Julie from tv. I'm terrified watching her go out that door everyday."

"It's understandable Julie needs a body guard, your other children do not. Ranger was generous enough to provide security for all three, including your home system and there private schooling for extra security as well as therapy for the whole family, on top of his child support which he has no legal requirement to even pay, since he signed his rights away more then a decade ago per your request. I think you should be more gracious and not kick a gift horse in the mouth."

She sounded frustrated. "Of course I'm grateful for the child support but he is her biological father, he should support her regardless of my material status. I just want better men watching my kids, if you can't make that happen I want to talk to Ranger then the moment he gets back. We use to have a decent friendship before this mess happened and now when his daughter needs him, he's too busy."

"Julie isn't the one calling, you are. As I said, her parents, the ones she relies on daily are there for her, Ranger visits as he can due to his schedule. That was never an issue in the past until Scrog and we can't change what happen. I think we can both agree he's been more then generous in making things right again since Julie doesn't even call him dad."

"You're just like Lester, you don't get it. Have him call me. Goodbye."

Pain in the ass. I can't wait to see Julie turn 18 so Ranger doesn't have to put up with Rachel anymore and waste his hard earned money.

SPOV

I woke up this morning sore as hell, but in a good way. Ranger wasn't in bed which meant he was working out since it was still pretty early even by my standards. I just couldn't sleep anymore, last night was weird but interesting. Things I never even did before and never imagined doing really weren't that bad.

After Ranger went down on me a few times I felt very relaxed. He flipped me on top of him and we started to 69. I rode his mouth while I sucked on one of my favorite parts of him, then he tied me up loosely with one of my scarfs and kissed my whole body. We kept the lights on the whole time and I didn't even notice until we fell asleep. I'm more of the lights off kinda girl, but he was very distracting.

He maneuvered us in positions I have never even tried before but my new favorite is the reverse cow girl. I rode him like a show pony and never came so hard in my life. He hit the right spot with every thrust. I don't like dirty talk and am normally very silent during sex but my mouth disconnected from my brain and I said things to him I have never said in my whole life. I was surprised I didn't even care in the moment. On the plus side it seemed to turn him on too and encourage him even more.

Afterwards we even blind folded each other while applying different pressure to each others bodies trying out some tantric sex. He showed how to build up and hold off to different finger pressures and when he finally told me to come I felt like I would pass out afterwards from the pleasure. Ranger respected my no butt rule for me but at one point guided my finger inside him while I was enjoying him with my mouth. I froze. Ranger saw my fear and walked me through pleasuring his prostate and curling my finger. I have never heard the man shout in my life while he came but this time he did. He normally just grunts or says my name lightly, but I made him come from working both ends and he was practically incoherent afterwards.

I felt pretty proud of myself. If last night was all an introduction, I have no idea where we're going next. I really need to hit the pleasure treasures and read up or ask Lula. I'm starting to enter way outside my knowledge but it's all been very pleasurable. I'm not surprised Ranger was right but I am nervous about my butt. It's been a firm no go zone for 34 years and I told Ranger I would try, but if it hurts even a little, it will continue to be a no gone zone for the rest of my life. I'm still in shock I'll even consider it. Most guys I've dated have tried to get me to do it in the past but I was firm, I guess all my hormones from last night are changing my mind a little. I don't know, maybe my brain is still scrambled from Ranger last night. I felt him come in the shower all sweaty. He kissed me gently.

"Morning Babe. Your up early, you ok?"

"Peachy and sore in a good way. Couldn't sleep anymore I'm too hungry."

"I'm hungry too." He walked me back to the shower wall and bent down between my legs on his knees and placed my one leg over his shoulder opening me wide. I gripped his hair and enjoyed his soft tongue. I'll be glad to pay the favor back once he's done.

"You know we're going to end up killing each other." I gave him a lazy smile at the breakfast table while cutting up oranges for our juice.

"I see it as making up for lost time. What's the plan today?"

"Tonight is Halloween eve so more "Walking Dead" maybe a little "Harry Potter" thrown in. If we're going to get crazy, some "Hocus Pocus." "I'm thinking if you have the energy and patience to teach me some lock picking to get into people's houses and out of handcuffs. I'm warning you now it's gonna be hard."

"I enjoy a challenge, especially when I provide the right incentive." His lips twitched in amusement. O boy. I can only imagine.

"I know you do." I gave him a sexy smirk. "Eventually if I ever master those two items, I've always wanted to break into a car and hot wire it but that's just for my own amusement. Maybe I'll prank people this year on April fool's day or if Joyce becomes an issue again, I'll have someone put a can of tuna fish in her air conditioner compartment in her car." Ranger let out a large belly laugh.

"What?"

"Your pranks are adorable. It reminds me of old times with Tank and my cousin. Occasionally I'd assist but I mostly observed."

"Such as?"

"He'd replace fillings of items with tooth paste, dip cigarettes in Orajel so there lips would numb, change out someone's uniform to something much smaller, glue on key boards, glue on headsets so they couldn't answer phones, jamming someone's radio in there car with a Cd so it only played that one song over and over and you couldn't listen to anything else. Removing license plates and getting a gutted car of the same model from the junk yard and placing their plates on it for a person to find. There were just too many and some were more extreme then others." I was laughing along with him, I liked his fun side.

"I need to meet him then and team up, I'd love to pull some pranks on Vinnie when he pisses me off."

"You've met already. A long time ago at that redecorating job." I thought back. I remember Tank and Ranger but the other two guys I can't really picture.

"I just remember one of the guys saying I didn't like to have fun because I didn't want to get shot at or go to prison that day, but I don't remember him looking like you at all. I couldn't tell his ethnicity."

"Yup, Lester Santos, he's a mix, mostly Puerto Rician and Cuban but a bunch of other things."

"I can't believe you never told me! What happen to him? I don't see him at Rangeman when I come around?"

"He runs Miami Rangeman. He grew up there and prefers the hot weather and the ladies more then Jersey. He was in Trenton only temporary to start up Trenton Rangeman with me."

"What! I can't believe I never knew this. Do any other family work for you?"

"I might have another distant cousin or two working in Rangeman Miami but not in Trenton."

I got up and kissed him, then whispered in his ear "I love when you share things with me, it makes me want to reciprocate in other ways."


	20. Chapter 20

Rpov

This morning I collected the Halloween treats I ordered for Babe. Pumpkin filled pastries, cakes and cookies and my charms I had made for Babe. She was in a really great mood and thankfully we only watched "Ghost Busters" once yesterday.

I've never seen a movie as many times as that one and no matter how much she has watched it over the years she still laughs at it. I don't even watch it anymore, I just sit there and go into my zone making my list of plans that I have for Rangeman when I go back.

Any new accounts I'll have to do a walk through and check over new clients in both offices, as well as approve any new employees. Tank hates paper work and will leave anything he doesn't have to do, so I can only imagine the stack on my desk. I'll also have to meet with my money manager and accountant to see how the company is progressing as well my personal portfolio.

I still have an investor or two left in Rangeman that I would like to buy out in the next year or so, making Lester, Tank and I have sole ownership. My initial plan was to have four offices for the four owners. Tank or I in Boston while the other takes Trenton. Lester in Miami and Bobby in Atlanta.

We started off in a simple office with just one room and a bathroom for billing and checks to be sent too. Since it was my idea and I was the leader of our unit it was decided I'd be CEO of all four offices while the men would be owner and manager of there specific locations. Everyone decided to get out of there contracts before we started our headquarters in Trenton except me. I continued because I was still the best and wasn't ready to get rid of the adrenaline rush while the money was still good. Missions helped purchase Rangeman buildings and safe houses, while taking on a handful of investors paid for improvements to the buildings and new equipment.

My high bond bounty hunting use to pay our employees salaries for the first 6 months so we didn't lose any profit while building client base. Our plan was never to bounty hunt forever just until Rangeman could operate at a profit on it's own, to maintain each building, but also helped me raise capital to eventually buy out several investors and gain more shares. The end game was eventually between 3-6 years I'd retire from government work and each man would have there own office, rotating locations when they felt the need. Since Tank was always my number two we needed our offices close by to maintain control until I was ready.

Boston became the logical choice in the end. Lester and I started to build up client lists once our building was operational first in Trenton then Miami. Eventually Bobby and I did the same model in Atlanta and I went on to Boston alone to build up clients. Because Tank couldn't run Trenton and Boston at the same time in my absence, we brought in an old friend from the Ranger's to run our operation in Boston. Each man was in charge of there building and I was in charge of the overall picture. I hired the best lawyers, accountants and money managers to watch the businesses in each state and made agreements for all of our vehicles to be delivered by an old client of mine. I exchanged services for each building to have a fleet including personal cars for myself.

I personally approved all staff members and made sure the buildings were equipped with a housekeeper and cook to keep the men focused on the job. I even made sure to include apartments, so men could always be on call if there was ever a building breach. Every building had there own gun range, gym, armory, private holding cells which increased overall efficiency. Boston and Atlanta exploded quickly with clients, too quickly and the managers weren't turning anyone away. They started hiring men who on paper looked good but were poor workers.

All employees are hired on as contract workers until I approve them for full duty. Both offices needed a large staff but the men weren't up to par. They also handled discipline very differently then the other offices. Punishments at Trenton varied from write ups to research desk for small infractions to specific pain in the ass assignments and lastly mat time. I expected the best from my employees and in return they earned the best salary, benefits and Rangeman perks. It also created loyalty within Rangeman.

Bobby in Atlanta rarely took men to the mats and felt he couldn't fire anyone unless it was a serve infraction while Dan in Boston stuck to write ups, mostly causing an unchecked work force. Quality was becoming an issue in those offices, so my plan was to cut back on clients and be more exclusive with the contracts. We were taking on too many untrained employees and needed to cut staff. Tank, Lester and I agreed but three of our larger investors did not.

They wanted the large returns. It was starting to make my name and reputation look bad and as CEO I was going to make the changes regardless, to do what was best for the company in the long run. The three investors approached Bobby and decided to team up with him in exchange for giving up there rights to Trenton and Miami, the less profitable offices in there eyes, they'd also buy up the two offices and change the name, relinquishing our shares to them in exchange. In those markets the name was being tarnished anyway and the three of us saw it as a way to cut our losses and remain more in control of the other businesses. We agreed to sell and even made a profit off the sale, after moving shares back and forth. The three of us agreed when the time came we could always open up another office in another state and the deal was better for us in the long term.

Because of our exclusivity in Trenton and Miami only taking on high end clients the business we now have makes more money then the new Titian Security. They have more clients but more overhead. We have selective clients and maintain a lower overhead in keeping a well trained staff and only take on clients when we have the necessary coverage. The only stockholder left is a husband and wife who own a brokerage firm. I once protected them when they use to travel extensively overseas. They trust my judgement and agreed with my decisions, so I have left them last to buy out of my business because I don't see the need to rush.

I contacted Bobby months later because we were old friends, I didn't hold it against him, he wanted to make as much money as possible. He was happy with the cash but regrets not taking my ideas and placing them into action. Now he travels between the 2 offices while handling all the head aches. Although he told me he Skype's with the Boston office as much as possible to save time, it's not the same company it once was. Boston can't seem to keep a management team in place either and I don't feel bad about our business decision one bit. I use to like traveling to the offices but with being in the wind and Babe ending up in more danger with me not around, it caused me a lot of anxiety to not be near her, even though Tank was left to monitor her.

Things started out slow. I mentored Steph briefly but not as well as I should have. I was too caught up in building Rangeman and I thought eventually she'd give up. When I realized she never would and asked me for work, I thought it would be mutually beneficial. Rangeman needed a woman for some jobs to make them easier and Jeanne Ellen was too hard to keep control of. I thought with her background in the army and company experience she'd be useful as one of the men.

I did what I always did back then when it came to women who showed me interest, I eventually slept with her. I could tell afterwards by her eyes and body language she wanted to make it a regular thing. I tried mistresses in the past and fuck buddies but they always got clingy no matter what they said. A few even tried to get pregnant by me but I learned after Rachel. I didn't want anymore kids with one night stands, so when I'd meet a women I'd get her name and run a background check on her. I'd had enough self control to hold off sleeping with her till I knew everything about her and made sure she was on birth control regularly.

It was for my own safety as well, I didn't want to get myself killed because I was horny. I'd always bring my own condoms too. Some girls seemed too eager to use there's and I knew they probably poked a hole in them. I was good at reading women and smarter after Rachel. No more drinking and fucking. I knew I was good in bed and women always wanted more but I never wanted a relationship, I wanted my career. After I screwed Jeanne she tried to hide her interest but she had tells and I knew not to make it a regular thing.

It wasn't that I didn't find her good looking, she liked pain, inflicting and giving during sex. It didn't bother me but it wasn't anything special, most women let me do whatever I wanted to there body back then as long as they got off. I tried to use Jeanne Ellen on Rangeman jobs since we got rid of the sexual tension but the other guys disliked her right away. She was cold to them and flirty with me. She didn't take any ones direction but mine and often changed the plan doing her own thing. I realized quickly after two distractions she couldn't be used anymore.

A warehouse clean up came up and during the recon I realized we needed an extra gun. I give people a chance, so I made it clear to the guys this was her last shot. When Tank got hurt I was furious with myself. I should have just held off and not used her. I put my team in danger and I told Jeanne she was off the team and sent her on her way. She tried many times to sleep with me again but I wasn't interested. We agreed to information exchange only and kept out of each other's way.

Stephanie changed things for me. I knew she was different when she didn't come on to me right away at the diner, but I gave her my number for when she needed help or decided to sleep with me. When she called me after crappy night just after a messy clean up and said she needed help, that she was trapped in her bathroom, handcuffed, I hung up on her. I was tired and not in the mood. When she called back I decided to check it out and put condoms in my pocket and made my way over. I expected hard and fast sex to relax me after a bad day and never see her again.

I really assumed she had called me for sex. When I got there and saw her apartment torn apart and her trying to hide her naked body from me, I realized she was telling the truth. I'm not going to lie I was surprised she called me and not someone she knew like family and even more surprised how turned on I was by her body. I usually went for someone exotic or model like with a small brain, good body and huge rack. I was shallow, I didn't need a woman for conversation back then. After I helped her, the image of her naked in that shower haunted me for weeks.

I had to take matters in my own hands more then once sometimes a few times a day. There was just something about her I found her attractive and interesting. The more I watched her and spent time with her, the more I enjoyed being with her. The quick wit, amusing antics, tenacity, ability to work jobs for Rangeman, her crazy curly hair and deep ocean eyes and out of the box thinking. She picked up I wasn't a big talker and respected that, instead of nagging me with useless questions. I tried finding an outlet with other women to get her out of my head by no one else turned me on or peaked my interest as much as her, so I threw myself into work.

Eventually I couldn't take it anymore so I made the deal with her. I knew if I just got rid of the sexual tension I could move on like I always did in the past with other women I lusted over. My plan backfired in my face. If anything after being with her all night made me want her even more. I knew she was nervous to spend the night with me but I cared for her well being from watching her for months and she was so responsive to me. Definitely one of the nicer girls I've ever met.

I planned to sleep with her all night then leave before she woke up, but I fell asleep somehow. That never happened to me before, I always left. I made an excuse when we woke and got the hell out of there. I was freaked out all day. I sent her back to Morelli because I never felt the things I was feeling before. Tank caught me when I came back to Rangeman and knew.

I knew Steph wouldn't have killed me in my sleep but you can never be too careful. I tried to pick woman up again outside of Trenton but I couldn't get her face out of my head. I knew I was fucked, so I just started taking care of my own needs and decided to take opportunities when she offered. She had a boyfriend with a weird relationship so I wasn't worried she'd expect a commitment and anytime I felt us growing closer I gave her a line about my no relationship policy.

Most women would push back but she never did. As soon as I knew we were stuck together for an undetermined amount of time I was hopeful for a sexual relationship but over the years I fell in love with her. We never really had the talk but once we did, I realized she was the only woman who really understood my life and if she wanted to take a chance, we should. If it didn't work we'd both know at least and I'm happy we're together now.

I know better then to believe in forever but for the first time in my life I'm happy. As soon as I saw Babe trying to better herself and make compromises to be with me then I knew I'd always regret it if I never tried. I had so many regrets already I didn't want to add to it. She isn't like most women either, she understands my life and time constraints and I wasn't worried she'd be waiting all day for me to come home, her independence is a quality I find most attractive about her.

As I sit here on the couch waiting for her to show me her costume I look forward to spending Halloween with her. I hate watching tv for days, I'd rather be more active but I enjoy her in my arms.

I heard Babe entering the room and I turned to see her costume. I had no idea who she was. She wore small tight brown shorts and a tan sleeveless shirt with her leather gun holster on her thigh with her hair straight and in a pony tail. She had a fake barb wire tattoo on her upper right arm and some sexy black boots on. She reminded me of a solider girl and was turning me on. I'd have to find her an army outfit for bed next.

"Guess who I am?"

"I'm not sure... a hunter of some kind?"

"I'm Laura Croft from "Tomb Raider." Damn I should have picked a different outfit."

"No Babe. You look sexy. I just don't know the character." I ran my fingers up her thigh holster.

"I like seeing a piece strapped to you, turns me on."

"Everything turns you on Mr. We can watch that movie first and if your nice to me I may even make out with you on the couch." She brushed her lips with mine and grabbed us multiple drinks to go with the snacks on the coffee table. I struck to the fruit, crackers and cheese.

SPOV

We both removed our guns and left them within arms reach on the table. I sat down on the couch and started the movie on Netflix. Ranger put his arm around me and I sprawled across his chest into our normal watching positions. I saw him reach into his pocket and remove a ribbon tied into a circle with a bow.

"Happy Halloween Babe."

I looked at the ribbon and two charms were attached. A hamster charm like Rex and a Halloween charm with a witch hat and pumpkin together. Perfect.

"For a man who doesn't do the girlfriend thing your quite good at it you know. Stop spoiling me so much! But I love them especially the Rex charm! That one is my favorite." I kissed him and snuggled into his neck.

"Who knew there was a sweet romantic man under that hard black bad ass exterior." Ranger made a face like he didn't want to be called sweet and romantic.

"Don't worry I won't tell a soul, I love both men equally, the romantic Carlos and the sexy dangerous Ranger especially in bed." We watched most of the movie but Ranger seemed to really check over my costume, so we did get a little frisky on the couch while pigging out on snacks during out lip lock breaks.

It wasn't my normal tradition and I kept thinking about what Grandma Mazur was doing today, but it wasn't a disastrous day like I had feared. At least I got to share my favorite holiday with Ranger. I hoped next year we'd both be in costumes watching movies again back in Trenton while I hand out candy together with Grandma Mazur. I will binge on buckets of candy then maybe hit a Halloween party. I didn't see Ranger at a large party, him just being alone with me was a party to him but maybe a small gathering one day with Tank for back up would be a goal we would work towards.

Grandma Mazur POV

Today was a big day for me and Stephanie. We usually dressed up and gave out chocolate while eating cookies and catching movies on tv. Helen called me over the last few weeks to return but I was enjoying myself in Steph's apartment too much to go back to sharing a bathroom with that stick in the mud son in law of mine and watch my daughter iron and drink her problems away.

Instead I took most of my social security check and bought decorations and a sexy dominatrix costume for today. I invited the whole building to my party and that Dillon was nice enough to help me hang decorations around the apartment and move the furniture. He also brought me more folding tables and chairs. Everyone agreed to bring food and snacks along with some drinks.

I just had to provide the entertainment and paper products. I found some movies and Halloween Cds at the dollar store and also invited a few ladies at the clip and curl. It was a costume party and you weren't allowed in with out one. I spent all morning and afternoon doing my hair and makeup and setting up the numerous tables with decorations and putting Steph's valuables and stuff in the closet just in case the party got wild. I forgot how many people I invited. It would all go down at 7.

My daughter heard about the party and begged me to cancel but that wasn't happening. I knew Steph wouldn't mind as long as the place wasn't damaged and cleaned up afterwards. At 630 I was in my sexy leather and pink wig with my riding crop and decided to test of my new mood lights, they were perfect. Not as bright as the apartment lights. I left the door open and people started arriving early. By 730 the party was in full swing and those that couldn't fit inside were partying and having a great time in the hall. It was the best party I ever held. The fuzz showed up by 1030 to check what was going on and luckily it was Eddie Garza and some new rookie.

"Grandma Mazur you throw quite the party, the lot is filled and so is the street. Steph know about this?"

"My baby granddaughter loves Halloween she'd support it." Eddie gave me a big smile.

"We got a call about all the cars and decided to check it out, looks like the whole building's here and some ladies from the burg, will this go on much longer? "

"We're old, we'll probably pass out in the next half hour. Help yourself to food and drinks and have some fun."

The rookie looked nervous and tried not to stare at my costume. I kept licking my lips and winking at him for fun.

"Sure we'll hang for a bit. Beats chasing kids around and Shirley has the boys trick or treating, were almost off shift anyway. Just make sure no one drinks and drives, call cabs for those people."

"If they don't fit in bed with me I'll get them home safe I promise." I winked at them and they made there way to the food table.

By 1130 most people left and I only had two cabs called for a few ladies. Dillon promised he'd stop by tomorrow to collect the table and chairs and I'd clean up in the morning. I went to bed with my new friend Stanley and enjoyed one of my better Halloween's. Maybe I could talk Stephanie into incorporating this into our new tradition at her apartment next year since Helen would never let us have a wild party at her house.

SPOV

It's been a week since Halloween and I was sad to put away the decorations and even more disappointed to find out the next day when Ranger checked in that we weren't returning home. I never missed a major holiday with my family so now I was really feeling home sick and my stomach was in knots.

I don't know what will happen if I miss Christmas too but I think my mother will never let me live it down and guilt me into daily dinners. It was bad enough I'm missing Thanksgiving which makes me really depressed. I know it's not Ranger's fault but I'm getting sick and frustrated and want to start investigating on my own and use myself as bait just to be able to go home.

Ranger reminded me he is following orders and if I tried to escape, relationship or not he had a job to do, so we've been giving each other space the last few days. I think Ranger likes me wearing costumes to bed so maybe when we make up I'll look for a naughty nurse, bat girl or wonder woman costume for him.

We're not exactly fighting. There was no yelling, no slamming doors, I didn't run, he picked up on my frustration and was giving me space and not pushing me. We ate dinners, watched tv and touched but our playful banter wasn't happening. He was a mix of Ranger and Carlos watching my moves to make sure I didn't make a run for it.

He got me an appointment for my birth control shot this morning and we agreed to a truce to try and make the best of the situation. He told me if we didn't leave by the end of November he'd find some way I could at least contact my family safely but it would take time and a lot of effort on Rangeman's part and himself to plan the exchange. I agreed to be less difficult in return. I hate going to the doctor's but it wasn't far from the house. Ranger picked up on my nerves.

"What's wrong?"

"Hate doctors. They just make me nervous and they always make you pee in a cup which for a man is easy but women it's a pain in the ass and then they take your weight while you wait forever with crappy magazines in the lobby." I gave him a deep sigh.

We entered the simple office that was just 5 blocks from our house. Ranger spoke to the receptionist and got me the paperwork but it was in Greek. I was struggling. Ranger eventually took the clipboard and started filling everything out for Stephanie Mendez. I saw him fill in the date of my last birth control shot and the amount of months I've been on it and my side effects.

"How the hell do you know that?!" I whispered sharply. I knew Ranger kept tabs on me and had access to my medical records but it was still a shock.

"I'm your medical power of attorney. I need to know all your medical history in case your injured and what medications your own so they don't give you anything that can kill you as they treat you." I wasn't as angry anymore. I didn't remember half my medical history or names of medications and I was actually thankful Ranger did in case I was incapacitated. I squeezed his hand.

"Thanks. Sorry I'm moody. I'm stressed." Ranger just kissed my head and then I heard my name called.

The nurse took my paperwork and Ranger walked with me to my appointment to translate as necessary. The nurse gave me a cup to pee in and I frowned as Ranger quirked his lips. Lucky for me it was a single bathroom and I went alone turning on the water so he couldn't hear me. I returned the cup with the lid after washing my hands and went to the scale.

I'm normally between 125 -127 pounds but the scale was reading 118 pounds, that pleased me. I guess the healthy food mixed with the walking helped me lose the weight. I glared at Ranger when he peaked at my number. He stayed silent. The nurse took me to the room and told me the doctor would be in soon. We waited about ten minutes and I couldn't find a comfortable sitting position and the paper under me kept making noise when I moved. Ranger was sitting across from me looking comfortable in his chair with his arms and legs crossed.

The doctor knocked then entered but Ranger kept his hand near his gun with his arms still crossed.

The doctor was an average size woman with dark hair and glasses in her early forties. She smiled at me.

"I'm Doctor Barba you must be Mrs. Mendez." She shook my hand.

"Stephanie please."

"Of course and this must be your husband." She shook his hand. She read over the papers we filled out and pulled out two pregnancy tests. I hated this part. I knew I never was pregnant but regardless of the shot or pill they did a test anyway to check before filling my prescription. I forgot about this part somehow. I looked at Ranger and his eyes widened then his blank face went into place.

"As you know Stephanie and as I can see by your chart we never give the next dosage unless we do a pregnancy test first, so while we wait 3 minutes I just want to review that you still want the shot. I've seen you've been on it for the last 6 months but we're on the contraceptive pill for numerous years before. Do you have any questions or concerns?"

I just shook my head. Her timer went off and she checked the 2 tests. I always held my breath and Ranger was just staring at the doctor waiting. She read both tests then threw them away. I let my breath go.

"Well we can't give you the shot today, both tests came up positive. It states in your paperwork you haven't been receiving regular periods, do you remember when your last one was before I do your exam?"

I just stared at her. I stopped breathing and felt stick. The doctor ran over to me and put my head between my legs and called for a nurse to get me a bag and water. I was just freaking out and I don't even know what the doctor was saying to me. I didn't even look at Ranger. O God Ranger. He is going to flip his shit. Just thinking about him I passed out.

I didn't know how long I was out but the doctor and another woman were hoovering over me on a hard table. I was confused. My arm hurt. The doctor was taking my blood pressure and the nurse pressed a bag into my hand to breath into and offered me a glass of water. I was so confused. The doctor took off the cuff and grasped both sides of my checks and made me look into her eyes.

"You're safe, you passed out after receiving some surprising news. You need to stay calm because if you pass out again I'm admitting you to the hospital. Your pregnant. It's a shock and a surprise I gather but your married and you have a miracle growing inside of you. Even if you did everything right 1 out of 100 women still get pregnant despite the pill or shot, nothing is 100 percent, keep breathing in the bag, long breaths in and out. I don't want to hook you up to oxygen but I will if I have too." The nurse just kept rubbing my shoulder but I was still freaked out. They were both surrounding me so I couldn't even see Ranger but I felt his presence in the room.

"No one knows how to be a mother, you learn by making mistakes. I have six children and most were a surprise to me too, as long as they know you love them you learn how to be a mother together. They just need love, food and shelter and the rest comes to you eventually, just keep breathing. Since you don't look like you know when your last period was and I don't see one listed in the last 12 weeks I'm going to do an ultra sound to confirm. Please calm down this isn't good for you or the baby, the nurse is going to help you keep breathing."

A baby o God a baby. I can't believe I'm pregnant with Ranger's baby. My luck got me freaking pregnant. I can't raise a baby I can barely take care of me and Rex.

"I'm performing an ultrasound just kept breathing in and out of the bag." She unbuttoned my pants and lifted up my shirt and then I felt a cold gel on my tummy. A weird wand thing was moving back and forth. I wasn't even really looking I was too busy freaking out and unable to feel my legs.

"O my." The doctor said loudly. The nurse looked worried. All of a sudden I heard a thump thump multiple thumps. I started to turn my head still trying to deep breath and felt tears behind my eyes.

The doctor and I made eye contact and she smiled. "Keep breathing, do you see these circles here and here and hear the thumping that sound is the babies heart beats, now Stephanie your carrying twins, by my measurements your between 8 and 9 weeks." My eyes popped out of my head and I dropped my bag. The doctor started turning on something behind me and an oxygen mask got placed on my face. The doctor started shouting to the nurse in Greek and I felt sick and woozy.

The doctor turned to someone behind her and started yelling in Greek. I just closed my eyes and tried to breathe. I felt a warm cloth go on my head and someone rubbing my arms as I let the tears fall down my face.

My dream of Ranger and I being together was slipping through my fingers, he didn't do marriage and kids, we had just started dating 7 weeks ago officially. I must have gotten pregnant in that hotel room in Oklahoma with twins. Twins! One baby would be hard alone but two in my apartment. I can't bounty hunt anymore. I'll have to find another job or be forced to live with my family again. The tears just kept coming while my eyes were closed. I had no car, no job now and a crappy unsafe apartment with no cooking skills, no health insurance and now I was about to become Rachel. Ranger was honorable he told me he married Rachel to support the baby and do the right thing but they always planned to divorce. My heart was breaking, I might not see Ranger anymore once the babies were born, he'd send a check and visit occasionally but he's told me time and again marriage and family are not in his plans.

The darkness came again and I didn't fight it anymore.

RPOV

When I saw the doctor take out 2 pregnancy tests I was surprised, I slammed my blank face down. I was about to tell her she had the wrong patient when she explained the tests, I felt a little better but still on edge. When she threw them away I was relieved and then she dropped the news Babe was pregnant. Pregnant.

After I've made it my mission to not impregnate another woman after Rachel this happens. It's my own fault, I always used protection with every women but with Babe sometimes we got caught up in the moment more times then not. Hawaii, Rangeman, the Porsche, Joyce's closet, many times in Greece, I knew she was on birth control and it was 1 percent, but I never thought we'd be that one.

I was angry at myself, I wasn't even paying attention to the room. I knew better, this was my fault. I can't be a father I carry 2 guns and a knife, Tank has to watch by back, I still have my government contract for another 10 months on top of Rangeman. I know nothing about kids I barely see Julie. I kept rubbing my face with my hands and started pacing. I needed a release, I needed to hit something and then I heard a thumping, multiple thumping and the doctor saying twins.

I looked at the screen and watched what she was pointing at to Steph who was crying and breathing into a bag. If I didn't fall back into a wall I would have fallen down. I never felt so angry, weak and helpless and then the doctor started yelling at me and the nurses. Babe was put on oxygen and she had to be taken to the hospital. She wasn't conscious. I tensed as a stretcher came in and followed behind Babe as the doctor monitored her on the way to the hospital.

"What is wrong with you! Your wife needed you I was telling you so and you just sat there then paced. You're her husband this is your responsibility too, she could have been seriously hurt or lost your children. Your a father whether you want to be or not so wake the fuck up!"

This small woman was chewing me out and she was right, what is wrong with me. Babe is lying unconscious on this stretcher. I grabbed her hand and kiss her forehead.

We arrived at the hospital and Babe started to be hooked up to iv's and fluids while her clothes were being cut off and into a gown. The doctor brought over a sonogram and checked the babies again. I heard the heart beats and saw the image as she pointed the twins out to me. I never did any of this with Rachel, not one appointment and I felt guilty. Stephanie was pregnant with my babies and I needed to start forming a plan and be her support system again. I was back in control and thanked the doctor.

"You were scared, like I told your wife you have two new miracles, provide and love them and kids will turn out fine, you learn from mistakes but they don't hold it against you. Alert the nurses when she wakes, she has been given a very mild sedative safe for pregnancy to protect herself from further panic attacks."

She left the room and I took watch next to Stephanie's bed just holding her hand and forming my plan.


	21. Chapter 21

SPOV

I hear beeping and smell antiseptic, a hospital. Freaking great. I'm fuzzy and I don't remember right away why I'm here and then it hits me.

"I know your awake, please turn over we need to talk." We need to talk is never good. Everyone knows what that means. I flip over and Ranger looks like shit. Bags under his eyes, hair in all directions, stubble on his face.

"Your first response is to freak and run, lets skip ahead and talk. I know you are scared but you need to remain calm. You are ok and so are the babies but your blood pressure was too high and you passed out because of the panic attack." I just nodded.

"I need to know if you want to keep the babies first."

"I'm Catholic and even if I wasn't I couldn't do that. I heard the heart beats. I can't give them up even though I know how you feel about kids and marriage. I'm sorry." I felt the tears behind my eyes.

"I've come up with a plan." He held my hand in his. "I love you and I want to be present for you as much as I can, but you know I still have 10 months left on my contract. I can't get out of it. We have two options.

One. We live together at Rangeman, I'll have the place redone to make room. You will have to stop bounty hunting for 9 months but you can return eventually if that's your choice. I know you will want to work, you can take time and look for something or have the research desk back. Regardless of your decision you will have Rangeman insurance so you and the babies will have the best care.

You can borrow or have a Rangeman car or get your own as long as it is safe. I know you don't like bodyguards but if you choose to be openly pregnant with my children, you will be an open target. I can't live or focus being away and worry about your safety. You will carry your gun always on your person and always wear a tracker and not lose your guards. It's not just you anymore, your actions affect our children. Once the babies are born they will also always have a bodyguard just like Julie.

I know how you feel about marriage but to protect you and take care of you and the babies it would be best if we got married in case anything happens to me, but we can discuss that later." I tried to talk and he just put a finger to my lips.

"The second option is we don't tell anyone I'm the father, you can say you don't know and I can send you as much support or anything else you will need. I'd be involved as much as you want me to be. You can still work for Rangeman, but you would not need constant guards unless you were in danger."

I soaked it all in. "Do you even want to be a father?" He thought it over.

"I never planned for more children, in the past I was actively preventing it, but you know I've told you I've thought of marrying you in the past. I've imagined you pregnant by me, I just didn't expect it so soon. I was on the fence until I heard the heart beats. I'd like to be involved and be with you too. But you'd be making sacrifices and compromises again. You hate bodyguards. You need to really think what you want again, because being with me makes you a target and I can't live with anything happening to you because of me. If we are in this together I'm going to be very protective of you. If you decide you want to do this alone, you will have every resource I have."

"I don't want to be Rachel. I don't want a marriage because of duty or a check in the mail. It would break my heart if you didn't want to be a father but I 'll respect it. If you want out yourself you can have it. No child support, no involvement I don't want to force you into this, I can take care of myself." Ranger kissed my lips.

"I want plan A, you and me at Rangeman together but you do what you need to do. I can't force you either."

"After the pregnancy if I'm on my own will I still have a guard 24/7?"

"If you train again and carry your gun then no, only an active threat. If you are with the babies then yes. You can't defend yourself and them at the same time." I sighed.

"I guess plan A but one day at a time. No marriage on the table for awhile, I refuse to get married because I'm pregnant. Marriage wasn't on the table for you before this situation, it shouldn't be on the table now because of it...My mother is going to crucify me when she finds out I'm pregnant and refuse to marry." I covered my eyes. "Can I go home now?" Ranger paged the nurse on my key pad.

"I'm sorry I'm complicating your life. I'm really sorry."

"Relax Babe we will do this together. We'll figure it out one day at a time but you need to talk to me, your not Rachel. We loved each other before you became pregnant, I never loved her." He just kissed me deeply and held my hand.

"Mrs. Mendez, I'm Doctor Agnes. How do you feel?"

"Fine can I go?"

"Not yet. We ran some tests and saw you were dehydrated and have an iron deficiency. You need to take start on prenatal vitamins immediately and eat lots of leafy greens. You will be on bed rest for the next week to keep your blood pressure low. You should check in with your normal doctor next week. I have a large envelope from your OBGYN with do's and don'ts, which I will go over with you now. She also included your sonogram picture and video. Any questions concerns?"

"Yes my sis.. friend Val got huge, like a whale and I don't want that to happen to me, can I exercise?"

"Not until your primary releases you from bed rest but eventually yes. Nothing crazy but light walks, yoga, swimming and eating well will reduce issues and help you bounce back faster. Your doctor also included each week how the babies are developing as well as a his and her pregnancy book. Dr Barbra must like you a lot. She normally doesn't go the extra mile with patients. You must have made an impression."

He explained what we should be on the look out for and reminded me to take it easy. Since they cut off my clothes, I eventually went home in scrubs by a taxi with Ranger. He gave an address two blocks over from the house and then carried me all the way home despite my protests.

He placed me in a hot shower and then tucked me in bed. I started reading the materials. The doctor made a special note of other books for me to read and ones not too, so I wouldn't freak out again. She probably thinks I'm nuts.

Ranger and I ate in bed until I got a headache.

"I'm officially on your diet. If you see anything fattening in my hand, I give you permission to take it away immediately. No matter what I say, just say white whale and keep me away from all gravy and I'll stop. Alert the guards too. I'm already going to be big with twins, I don't want to end up like the marshmallow man... Did you freak out when you found out I was pregnant? I didn't see you at all."

"I didn't pull a Tank and pass out but I was in shock. You tend to bring out feelings no one else does. I was nervous so I paced for a minute then I was hit again with shock with the twin announcement. Trust me, my reaction was a lot better then when I found out about Julie. Eventually I refocused and came up with a plan."

"Yeah I took it poorly too, let's just tell people we were surprised and took it well... Do you have a gender preference? I'd like one of each."

"No preference. I don't want to turn back time and make up for what I missed with Julie, I don't regret it, she has two wonderful parents but one of each would be nice. I just want to protect these babies and see them grow up." Ranger touched my stomach and began rubbing circles with his thumb.

"I don't want to tell many people in Trenton about my pregnancy, people will gossip and be out of control. I only plan to tell my immediate family and friends. I still can't believe I won't be a bounty hunter anymore. I'm sad. It was one job I really liked, I just thought I at least had a few more years. Vinnie is going to blow a gasket."

"I'll have words with him." Vinnie will pee himself if Ranger has words with him, I should bring popcorn.

"I'll have to eventually tell Morelli too. I thought telling him we are dating was going to be hard but about the babies and dating, he may swallow a whole bottle of antacids. You should avoid him."

"I'll tell him if you want and I will be present when we tell your family. I'll deal with your mom myself." Tempting very tempting.

"No I should tell him, it's the right thing to do if I want us to be friends again."

Ranger parted his lips and kissed me with a lot of tongue. I felt the stress melting away. Eventually we cuddled and continued our pregnancy reading.

"The babies are raspberries this week and have formed taste buds affecting my tastes. My boobs will hurt this week and weird dreams will begin, bummer."

"What about your family? Will you tell them?"

"In time. They will want us to be married so I may just tell them on the phone first. I don't need anyone's approval." Every time he mentions his family I get a vibe that he doesn't want to go into details about them so I let it go for now.

"Do you know anything about babies because I don't. I just hold Lisa occasionally, I've never changed a diaper."

"No. We will learn together and have Ella on stand by. She will love helping with the babies. She has wanted us together since she met you."

I started laughing. "You know she asked me if you pay me for sex the first time I slept over. It was my own fault I told her we weren't dating. She thought it was like "Pretty Woman."

"I think that speaks to her thoughts about me more then you. You are still the only woman that has ever been in that apartment other then her."

"I'm scared I'm going to mess up these babies and be a bad mom."

"Me too. Fatherhood is foreign to me but we will adapt and have Ella. We can hire more help if need be and have Val or Mary Lou on speed dial." I found it interesting he never mentioned our mothers helping.

Eventually my eyes grew heavy and I slipped into a comfortable sleep.

RPOV

While Babe went to sleep I continued reading and marking items to create a new standard operating procedure for Rangeman employees when they guard Babe. I don't think she would do anything on the don't list on purpose but at times she can be impulsive.

I also didn't explain to her the full security plan that will be surrounding her when she returns home. She doesn't need to stress out over the details but I'm going to research and background the best doctor in the area for multiple births and research the most secure hospitals. St. Francis was out, that left Princeton, Hamilton and Ewing.

She will start traveling in a secure car with bomb sensors, bullet resistant glass and a reinforced car frame. Although she will have one guard with her I will have a separate car shadowing them discreetly. Eventually I'll need to bring someone in to train myself and her guards how to deliver a baby just in case. With Steph it was a possibility. All of this seems extreme but it helps me stay in control.

I looked at the sonogram and couldn't believe after 13 years I was going to be a father again. I can't help but be concerned something may happen to me in the next 10 months while in the wind. Babe was already in my last will and testament long ago.

Upon my death she will inherit my shares of Rangeman, my personal effects, my cars, safe houses and a portion of my portfolio that will be divided among Julie and my family. Julie will also have a trust fund that Rachel will oversee until she is 25 for college and anything else. In my letter to Babe I explained why she will be best for Rangeman and my wishes. I knew if I ever died she would mourn the most and take care of my legacy while watching over Julie. It was Tank's promise to always watch over her. I finally went to bed and held Babe tight leaving my hand on her stomach, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Over the next few days I wrote document after document of new procedures for the men to learn before they could guard Steph and handle any possible emergency that could happen. I also made a section about not leaving her alone with Morelli not because I didn't trust her but I didn't trust him and his temper. I added a special section just for Tank in case he has to take her to her doctor's appointments while I'm in the wind. I wanted full reports on Babe's condition, she tends to gloss over things to minimize the situation.

I also need to setup a new alias so she can go to her doctor's appointments. Tank will have to oversee any changes to the penthouse and call our government contractor to make the changes.

I'll never tell Babe but my plan B was originally plan A. I was going to support her financially but keep my distance from her for her safety and the babies. I thought of how she would cope on her own. She wouldn't have a large support system, just Mary Lou and her grandmother. I thought she would eventually get back together with Morelli and he would be raising my kids, turning them against me.

No matter how hard I tried, I'd never be able to keep my distance from her. I thought about when I found out Rachel was pregnant, she had supportive parents and friends, she didn't need me. Babe needs me as much as I need her. So I formed a new plan that I hoped she would accept. As soon as she told me she wanted to raise the babies with me something clicked inside of me. I started feeling territorial and extra protective of her.

I felt like I couldn't sleep until I had a battle plan in motion with numerous contingencies. Babe's not a planner unless her first try doesn't work which worked out well for me because I always had several. I keep touching her stomach, it's extremely foreign to me but I find it comforting. If Babe would let me, she would travel with 3 guards everywhere but I know she would fight back, so I need to covertly place people to ensure her safety. I need to find a number two for her as well. Someone to watch her back that she won't mind and can use as a sounding board when she feels like she can't talk to me, similar to my relationship with Tank.

I needed someone who will be threatening to everyone around her but will talk to her and make her feel safe without being intrusive. I run threw my men mentally and the two she talks to the most would be Ramon and Hal. She can easily outsmart Hal because she makes him too nervous and Ramon may get too distracted with her conversations. She hates Diaz and Cal makes her nervous. Binkie's an option or Woody. I may have to just put her in a room with a handful of my men and see how personalities mix while I watch on the monitors. I know deep down Santos would be perfect. He's outgoing but serious, he would make her comfortable but he's family too so he would understand how much she means to me. Problem is he'd never leave Miami and it would be a step down from his position.

In regards to her emotional well being, being in Greece and learning from me has improved her confidence. Her mother will be the first large obstacle for us. Babe wants her parents proud of her, it steams from her mother always trying to compare her to her sister and brow beating her into conforming. Babe is letting her insecurities about the babies effect her confidence and I'm concerned her mother will take advantage. I'm going to have to sit down with Helen eventually and lay the new law down.

Having a number two for her would let me know when I'll have to make visits to people too. I'll have to have a sit down at the bonds office with the girls about keeping their mouths shut and not feeding into any of her insecurities. Morelli is an after thought, we both know he is going to be an issue but hopefully he is back to his bed hoping ways and is smart enough to keep his distance. Stark street already knows Babe is off limits but I plan to send in Hector to reiterate that fact. I can already imagine Tank's reaction when he finds out Steph's pregnant and he will be as stressed as I am.

"Hungry?"

"I just feel exhausted. I'm going to watch "Ghostbusters." I made Babe lunch and she barely ate. She just keeps watching that movie over and over. She's about to start her fourth viewing, cuddled up in a blanket while I watch her from the den.

I walked in and grabbed her feet starting to massage them. "What's wrong? Three times is usually your max."

SPOV

"I had a dream last night I was twice the size of Valerie and pouring gravy into my mouth. You were completely grossed out and the babies kept crying. I couldn't get them to stop. One is a challenge enough but two at once, I'm scared I'll drop them or forget to feed one. I have a hamster for a reason, a dog was too big of a commitment for me. I like my sleep too."

"Two of us, two babies. Ella will cook and clean so you can work and focus on them. We can also have an assistant for you to help, you are not doing this alone."

"I don't like putting all my eggs all in one basket. In a few months you may decide fatherhood isn't what you want anymore and I need to know I have some place to go as my safety net. After my divorce I had nothing, I can't go back to that with twins."

"I'm not going anywhere and if you need your own space to feel safe then keep your apartment or find another place to sublet, but my love for you won't change. I want you with me and safe." Ranger pulled me to him and wrapped the blanket around me. He rubbed my back and spoke softly to me in Spanish.

"I usually use my denial land as a coping mechanism but since the moment I found out I was pregnant it hasn't worked for me and that scares me. I'm scared I'll end up alone with two mouths to feed, I'm scared of my mother, I'm scared I'm going to screw them up or my shitty luck will put me in danger with them."

"No matter what happens they will always have a home and food. I've sent up accounts to take care of Julie no matter what and I will do the same thing with them. My job is your security, your job is being healthy and following doctor's orders. Fear is natural but you need to move past it because we have two new people in our relationship."

I kissed Ranger deeply, I felt a little better knowing I had a rock. I started grinding my hips into him and tried to put my hand down his pants.

He groaned and stopped me. "Your still on bed rest." I pouted.

TPOV

"Helen Plum on the line for you sir." I picked up the line.

"Yes."

"When is she coming home? She doesn't call, she didn't tell us she was leaving, Emily Beeber's daughter doesn't just disappear. Thanksgiving is over two and half weeks away, she never misses a holiday. I need to speak to her now, give me her number."

"She's on assignment out of contact, I'll pass on the message but don't expect her for Thanksgiving. Hopefully she will return by early December."

"I can't believe this, Edna Gluck's daughter never misses the holidays! What will the neighbors say if she doesn't come. If she worked at the button factory she would never miss a dinner or holiday...

"Stop."

"Those girls are not your daughter. Stop comparing them to her. You want her to be home she has work. You need to work on you instead of using your Catholic guilt. Get a hobby, get a job. Throw yourself into something instead of your small Burg world and make yourself happy instead of feeding into others and your own lack of self worth." I hung up on her.

SPOV

After a week of bed rest I felt myself climbing up the walls. Ranger watched me like a hawk, I wasn't even allowed to walk to the bathroom without him carrying me. I had to keep reminding him I was allowed to walk and even sent him to the den more then once so I could shower in peace.

We are back in the same room as before in the doctor's office except Ranger was sitting next to me this time holding my hand.

"Stephanie wonderful to see you again."

"Hi Dr. Barbra, sorry about before."

"No need. You remind me a lot of my reaction with my first pregnancy except my husband wasn't my husband and we both had a commitment phobic tendency. It works itself out in the end. I received the results of all the tests they ran at the hospital, so I just want to check your blood pressure and asks some questions today." She placed the cuff on me again.

"It's normal but on the higher end, does high blood pressure run in your family? I don't remember seeing it in your chart?"

"No. Not that I know."

"Hmm ok we will monitor it with every visit. I see your just visiting from New York, will you be here long?"

Ranger spoke up, "We are on our second honeymoon we haven't decided our return date yet."

She smiled "good man, alright I'll make sure you have copies and notes just in case you have to return before our next appointment. Please make sure the doctor monitors your pressure from now on. I'm removing you from bed rest but you need to take it easy and listen to your body. If you are tired rest and drink more fluids, try to stay away from processed foods and switch to organic if possible. The added hormones in meat and milk aren't healthy for you. Any questions?" I just shook my head. But Ranger jumped in.

"I've read all the books and materials you provided and it says sex is safe, does that include all types and is it only gentle?" I can't believe he just asked that!

"My rule of thumb is as long as it doesn't hurt your fine, the babies are protected it won't hurt them if you enjoy... a little rough fun." I'm bright red.

"When will she start showing?"

"Every woman is different, some at 12 weeks others sooner. It just depends on what she puts in her body, some women take it as an excuse to over indulge, that's not good and will cause issues for both the mother and child."

"I read for a normal pregnancy it's 40 weeks but with twins they can be born at 36 weeks, when will her due date be?"

"Her due date is June 2nd but I'd expect her to be mid may, it will be better determined as it gets closer. The twins have separate placentas, meaning fraternal, so complications are decreased. However with any multiple birth she will have to be monitored closely."

"So his super sperm fertilized two of my eggs and they won't look identical, how does this even happen? No one in my family has twins, do you have twins in your family? Ranger just shook his head.

"That's a myth, twins aren't genetic. Some women just produce more eggs and I'd have to test his sperm to see if it's super, but it seems to work well. You are going to have beautiful babies together, you are both very attractive. I'll see you in a few weeks, the nurse will hand you your medical records and more reading material for you to review."

Ranger gave me a big smile. "Super sperm?"

"It wouldn't shock me. I should have known your soldiers would fight through my barriers, I bet they have pep talks in your balls before being released for their attack along with strategies and maps." Ranger looked like he was trying hard not to laugh. We left the office and he slammed his blank face into place. I notice he does that more and more now deterring people away from me.

We did our Thanksgiving food research and although Greece is known for turkey's they don't celebrate Thanksgiving so Ranger had to bribe a butcher into getting us one days before. Ranger hit a book store with me and we grabbed some cook books and magazines, it all seemed pretty involved to me, I was thankful he was cooking.

"What's the plan?"

"Turkey, stuffing, green beans, mash potatoes, salad, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, no marshmallows we won't find them here. Anything else you want?"

"Pie."

"We will talk to the bakery and order something special for you."

"This seems extensive are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes and you are going to assist stirring and cutting. Let's go pick up what we can and any fresh ingredients we will get a few days before. Let's hit the bakery and put in your order now too."

I felt like skipping I loved the bakery. Ranger's order from Halloween was pretty good.

We entered and got in line. I didn't even see her until she touched my arm. I turned to look and it was the old woman who was a seer. Shit! I looked in her eyes and jumped. Ranger pulled me behind him.

"I knew you were pregnant when I saw you before, twins. I could feel it when I touched you. I felt other things, we need to talk."

"No she's not. We don't believe in magic and she isn't interested. We are just here for an order." She tried to touch Ranger but he glared and gave her a menacing look.

"She is in danger, if you love her you will want her to speak to me." By now everyone was watching but avoiding the old woman's eyes.

"It's ok Carlos let her talk."

"Follow me little one." Ranger looked really annoyed with me but followed closely as I went behind the curtain and sat at the table and chairs while Ranger took a position next to me.

"This isn't real Babe let's go."

"Just a minute please, for me."

"Why am I in danger?"

"May I?" She reached out her hands to me and grasped my wrists while looking at me right in the eyes.

"Your special. You have an eternal light that people want to take from you. Bad souls follow you to try and extinguish it because you pose a threat to them. Be weary of your friends, enemies hide among them. You have a warrior heart and I see we are more a like then I thought. Trust in your gift it's in your blood..." She moved her hand to my stomach and Ranger tensed even more. "You will have two sons with light as bright as yours, protect them. You fear love but it will grow as your womb expands and your counterpart will grow with you. He's a non believer but you've seen things, hardship and great challenges are coming for you soon unlike anything you've ever experienced before. When you run, run to him not away, he is your soul mate, your safe haven. Forgiveness will be difficult but follow your heart and gift. We all have masks, yours will be ending soon..."

"That's enough we are going." Ranger broke our hands apart and walked me out.

"Why did you do that? She knew things. Did you not hear her?"

"Babe it was generalizations and she could know someone at the doctor's office that told her about the twins. Your face is expressive, she could have picked up on things as she was talking. We read people all the time, we are not psychic."

"I didn't get the vibe she was lying, you are going to be a believer if I pop out two boys."

"She has a one in three shot."

"Wait! We didn't order anything."

"I wrote it on a paper and left it with the girl at the counter as she was talking to you. Let's go home, you've been on your feet all day already." I just rolled my eyes at him.

RPOV

It's been over two weeks and today is Thanksgiving. Babe has started experiencing the joys of pregnancy, exhaustion, nausea at night while eating black olives by the truck load. On the good side, her breasts are a little larger which is a plus for both of us.

"It's too early, you go cook and I'll catch up later."

"Babe it's 9 am up. I need some help."

"Fine."

Babe pulled on a t-shirt and shorts and walked with me to the kitchen. "I've already made cranberry sauce, I need you to skin these potatoes and then chop the sweet potatoes while I prep the turkey."

SPOV

I watched Ranger pull out guts out of the turkey and I felt the nausea coming, he wasn't even fazed. He started cutting up celery, onion, sage and stuffing it inside the bird. He filled the pan with broth and started rubbing spices on the turkey while reading the directions.

"That's not stuffing."

"No I'm making it separate so we don't get sick, I don't want to chance it with you pregnant."

"What did you normally do with your family for the holidays before the army?"

"My abuela cooked all day with other family members, the men watched football and played a game outside."

Ranger and I spent hours preparing and cooking, eventually I went to shower and put on a nice dress and heels. Ranger dressed up too and we ate a romantic Thanksgiving meal by candle light.

I grabbed his hand and did the blessing before we ate. It was surprisingly good. His turkey was moist more then my mother's not that I would ever tell her. Ranger ate a big plate of salad but a little of everything else too.

"The seer told me our masks would be lifted soon, I have a good feeling we are going home at the end of this month."

"We will do what we always do, pack and clean then I'll call early on the last day of this month."

RPOV

After dinner Babe took a nap so I called Tank for an update, he hasn't had any information for me the last few calls.

"Yo."

"Report."

"Adelaide Wyndam's brother was a General in Special Operations 34 years ago, General Kingston. No other information is available on my end. No Ethan as a known associate."

I hung up. I started fitting the pieces together with everything Tank has gathered for me including what Steph has told me about Ethan. I started making a time line and adding facts when I realized who Ethan was.


	22. Chapter 22

SPOV

Ranger has been in his den working out a lot the last few days. Tomorrow we will find out if we can return home. I have a good feeling so I have packed up my bags and cleaned the whole house with him. Ranger asked me to review his timeline of events with Ethan especially the last time I saw him, the month and year. When I asked why, he said he wanted to have Tank check some facts so he wouldn't be caught off guard when we met with him.

Ranger has always been suspicious of situations he doesn't control but being pregnant has created a new overprotective nature of me and the babies. Ever since he found out I was pregnant he has added another knife and gun to his body. I've practiced my lock picking skills with him and although he has magic fingers, I take a lot longer with the pick but I'm a little quicker with a bobby pin. I need to keep practicing that's for sure.

Ranger has asked me to start keeping two bobby pins on the back of my waist just in case I ever end up in cuffs behind my back again, I can escape. At first I thought it was crazy but I do get kidnapped more then a person should and now being pregnant I'm taking his suggestion seriously. I'm definitely going to bed early, Ranger usually makes the call around 3 am and as soon as he gets the ok we have to leave right away.

Pregnancy hasn't been too bad yet, Ranger can't drink coffee anywhere near me and I can't eat after 6 or I throw up the rest of the night. Ranger is like a pregnancy savant. He has read everything the doctor have given us and even bought more books at the book store. He knows my needs sometimes before I can figure it out myself. My nausea was really bad at times so he made me peppermint tea and rice cakes.

When I'm out and about and feel gross he encourages me to suck on a peppermint candy which works for me too. I'm crabby without my caffeine in the morning but Ranger smooths it over with me in bed so I'm more like mush with a lazy smile now. In bed he can't keep his hands off my stomach protecting us even in sleep, it's sweet. I've never eaten as healthy as I have been, so I crave Big Mac's with a can of black olives but my biggest fear is I'll get so large even after the bat babies are born, I won't be able to get back to my normal weight. Which means Ranger won't find me attractive anymore. I'm not blind, he is gorgeous, sexy and a Cuban sex God. Women walk into walls with just his smile. I've seen it first hand. Women throwing themselves at him, he doesn't want a fat girlfriend on his arm so we changed our work outs.

I still do modified self defense lessons and the gun range but now I walk the tread mill and try yoga. It's not for me, so Ranger has been incorporating dancing with me instead at home. I love to swim so when we return to Trenton I'm going to join the YMCA, I haven't told Ranger yet. I usually eat peanut butter with green olives but Ranger discovered green makes me sick.

I've made my list of who I will tell about the bat babies and I've decided if it's leaked before I'm obviously showing then I'm barring that person access to the babies. It's one thing for me to be talked about and in danger it's another thing for the babies to be. It's almost December, I plan to wear layers and coats to hide my stomach as long as possible. It will make us less of a target and keep the blood pressure low on both of our parts. I've had Ranger assign me four guards before, pregnant with an active threat against me, I wouldn't be shocked if it was doubled and he wrapped me in a full body bullet proof outfit with a helmet. I'd rather just keep a lower profile then travel with an army.

I know if I asked grandma to keep it to herself she would, she has always been my partner in crime. Mary Lou would never run her mouth off about me and my dad will only ask if it's a boy and not tell anyone anyway. My mother is a wild card, she will want to brag I'm finally pregnant but she may not tell a soul when I explain Ranger and I have no plans for marriage anytime soon. She was embarrassed by Val's pregnancy with Lisa and begged me to talk Val into marrying Kloughn. If Val wasn't so huge she probably wouldn't have told anyone until she had too. Kloughn wouldn't out me on purpose but he says a lot of things with out thinking, so I'll only tell Val and make sure she doesn't say anything. Connie and Lula are big gossips.

I've debated with myself whether or not to tell them. I know if I just quit again they will call me all the time to help or come back, causing more issues in the long run. If I do tell them I could also say Ranger wants it private and any leaks he will deal with personally. They think he is hot but they aren't stupid, no one wants to be on Ranger's bad side. Morelli will take it the worst but when I explain it needs to be kept quiet for my safety he will comply.

I know I'm over packing and I won't fit in any of these clothes in a few months but they are too beautiful to leave here. It will also make me want to drop the weight faster after the bat babies are born.

RPOV

I've been really stressed out since Thanksgiving night. I made a time line of Steph's and Tank's information and added in the information I first received about Rose. As soon as Tank told me about General Kingston it clicked in my brain. I knew him, not well but after a few years in the Ranger's I was also in a special operations unit that would send me on individual assignments. One of my assignments was a close protection detail for him. At the time General Kingston was in his mid sixties and held a high position on a security council.

I never knew he was once a General of Special Operations but it doesn't surprise me. Men in that position that excel eventually move up. I neutralized the threat eventually that was on his staff but I remember he was a no nonsense man that had very little regard for anyone. He acted entitled and was a stickler for rules and structure. He was cold and calculating and told me he wasn't impressed with me one bit. He was an asshole.

That was one of my first individual assignments. I had just joined that sector with Tank, we were both 24 at the time. We weren't called in often at first but over time we were used for higher assignments. Our General was new at that time, his predecessor was murdered so security increased around him and no one met him unless necessary. Orders went through intermediaries to handlers. Braxton was the face of the General's orders and his number two since I started.

Thirty four years ago General Kingston was in charge of Babe's biological mother. He assigned her to gather intel on an international arms dealer and I wouldn't be surprised if he ordered her to be his long time girlfriend. Back then they didn't have good methods of communication and if Babe's mom was her mark's woman, she would have been on a constant watch by his security. Babe's mom would have had to have a partner to pass the intel to, I think her partner was Ethan. When her biological mother discovered she was pregnant she had two options, stay and play along collecting the intel or run. If she ran she would face severe punishment.

My guess is Ethan told the General she was pregnant and the intel may have dried up because he couldn't access her anymore especially if her boyfriend discovered the baby. Kingston wouldn't have accepted failure, he would have left her in place. My guess is if the child was born her mark may have married her gaining her access to better information in the long run. My file on Rose's biological mother said she slept with someone else and either she didn't want to raise the baby with her boyfriend or she knew their was a chance it wasn't his and if the baby was born with the wrong features both her and the baby would be dead.

Extractions are based on the General's discretion, I'd bet money he didn't send any help for her and she took matters into her own hands getting herself killed in the process and causing Steph to be born a month premature. Her file says she was placed with a family 2 days after her birth. Ethan could have taken the baby back with him, he could have told the General about the child, the General in turn could have contacted his married sister Adelaide, making her deal with the baby. Adelaide then found the Plum's through Fort Dix.

Ethan must have delivered the baby to Trenton and met Adelaide at the hospital, paid off a doctor that Adelaide must have known from her career and made any evidence disappear. General Kingston must have provided the cover up and classified the file to cover his ass for any failure. I'm actually shocked the General had the compassion to place her with a family and not just leave her somewhere or drop her off in state care. He was just that kind of man. I'm not sure if Ethan was Babe's biological father. Her mother could have slept with anyone but working together closely creates a bond, Ethan could have blamed himself for her biological mother's death or maybe was just curious and wanted to see what Steph looked like. So he went to visit her. Guilt and regret makes people do strange things.

When Babe described Ethan to me it was such a broad description, it didn't click for me right away. I think I've only met him once. He didn't look like she had described though, when I met him he didn't have any hair. It was after a messy mission where Tank and I almost didn't make it back. We lost everyone in our unit from bad intel and mother nature. Ethan was our interrogator for the debrief who believed we had purposely sabotaged our mission because we were the only two to make it back. We hadn't, it was a mixture of bad intel, weather, snakes and missing pieces. I never saw him again after that day.

Ethan must have been alerted about the information leak on Rose and had her extracted because he felt she was in danger. He must have not been aware that I knew Steph when Cross and I were assigned. For now I'm preparing for the worst and enjoying my last few hours with Babe. If we see Ethan tomorrow it will be a very challenging day for the both of us.

SPOV

I felt Ranger kissing me and lightly shaking me awake.

"Babe it's time." I know I needed to get up but I really didn't want too.

"Five more minutes."

"No now. We have 30 minutes until we have to catch our plane. I'll explain on board but you need to move or you go as you are." I took a quick shower but didn't wash my hair, I did that last night. I put on very light makeup and grabbed my breakfast to go for the car.

"You seem tense. What's wrong?"

"The message left for me is ordering me to bring you with me to D.C, that's not protocol. Assets I protect I take home safely then return for a debrief."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know yet. You may be questioned or I may take you to Ethan. Our story will be we traveled all over Europe but lived mostly in Paris. That is where we are flying too now. I will fed ex all of our bags to Rangeman. You will only have a small bag just in case they are checked for information. Only keep a few prenatal vitamins on your person but have nothing else that shows your pregnant. Do not touch your stomach with anyone around and say as little as possible.

I've alerted Tank to track you if we become separated. I'm going to give you cash, when you are done with questioning or Ethan I want you to call Tank and get somewhere safe. I will meet up with you when I'm done with my debrief."

"Why Paris, why not a direct flight?"

"I don't want anyone to know our safe house location, I said Paris to protect us both. We will travel from Paris to Washington D.C. under a different name as husband and wife. If anyone asks you what name you traveled under the past few months you were Rose Santiago. And I was Marc Santiago or Mr. Black. Stephanie and Carlos Mendez's don't exist. I'll prep you more on board."

I was really tired but happy to go home. I slept on the car ride and the plane ride to Paris. We woke up and shipped everything we had back to Rangeman except for weapons, cash and basic clothes. Then we made our way to a different airport.

"I've always wanted to come here. I'm sad we can't visit."

"Next time." Ranger squeezed my hand.

We took our return flight from Paris to D.C. Ranger checked for surveillance on board and then quietly rehashed what he would say happened the last few months. If questioned about our past together it was friends and I had an on again off again boyfriend. If they asked me anything I didn't know I just had to tell them I was sedated a lot. I couldn't stray from the story, because Ranger had to have a detailed debrief. He was lying to protect us and our babies. He didn't follow normal protocols because he cared for me and it could land him in trouble. I couldn't let that happen so I took the rest of the trip practicing with him. I could barely eat I was so nervous. The flight was only eight hours, so I changed on board and put on many layers and my French ruffle coat to sell our story. On our descent Ranger grabbed my hand.

"I love you. Breathe. If you get nervous it is best to say nothing then ramble. No matter what happens I'll find you." He kissed me deeply with a lot of tongue and then touched my stomach and said something in Spanish. When the plane came to a stop I sent up a silent prayer we would be ok. Ranger looked out the windows and saw two black explorers with a man standing at the door of each one.

"They are going to separate us. Stick close to me until I get a better look at them."

"We walked down the stairs with our bags in hand. Ranger kept his hand on his gun while shielding me with his body.

"Where is she going?" Ranger asked.

"Hotel then she has a meeting. You are dismissed for debrief Sir." Ranger nodded. The man gave me an envelope addressed to Rose with the wax rose seal. Ranger gave me one last look then got into the other SUV with out any expression. I entered the car and sat in the back seat just in case I needed to make an escape.

"Do you watch "Game of Thrones? You could be Drogo's twin brother." He didn't laugh or smile.

"I get that a lot. Ladies love it."

"I bet. I'm sure they like role playing too." He didn't respond to my comment. I had no idea why I even said that. Nerves I guess.

"We will be at your hotel in 45 minutes. I will escort you to your room and be on guard outside for your safety then take you to your meeting in three hours. Anything you need I will assist you, my name is Thor ma'am."

"Army name?"

"No. My mother had a thing for mythology."

I took the time to start decoding my message. "Be good. See you soon. E."

Since my room and food were being covered, I took a hot shower and ordered soup and a club sandwich. I asked Thor what he wanted and he declined. I ordered him a sandwich anyway with a water. I thought I heard his stomach growl on the way over along with mine.

He didn't say anything when I left him the plate but his eyes were smiling.

Ranger warned me about saying anything or talking on the phone which could be monitored, so I didn't use the room phone even though I really wanted too. It took everything in me not too, so I just paced around the room. At exactly three hours later Thor knocked on my door and told me to grab all my things.

RPOV

I got a bad feeling when I saw two SUV's, I knew they would separate us but I was hoping they wouldn't. In Paris I sent Tank the receiver to track Steph. I hated seeing her walk away with Thor but he was a good soldier and one of the General's personal guards. I got into the other SUV and was surprised to see someone else in the front seat and General Andrew's in the flesh in the backseat.

I saluted. "Sir."

"Get in the damn car. We will debrief at our next location."

I kept my mouth shut taking in his features. He was the same man with blue eyes and bald head that I had meet once before in an interrogation all those years ago after South America. I couldn't be positive but I had a feeling I had finally met Ethan and I was completely fucked.

We drove for an hour outside of the city to a gated house. We entered through the double doors and I noticed furniture but no personal effects or pictures. It was a secured location, possibly a safe house. Nothing about this was protocol. I followed him to a large office while he dismissed his guards at the front door. He sat behind his mahogany desk and opened up a drawer and pulled out a manila folder with papers inside.

"This is what has happened since your mission began. Read it over then sign it. It will be the official report, then we will talk about what really happened just between us. We don't have much time so begin."

This paper work stated after the safe house was compromised Rose and I moved to Nevada and waited out our time until I felt it wasn't safe then moved her overseas to Paris and Europe. Other false facts were added as supporting evidence. Nothing unusual stood out so I signed off on it.

I returned the papers to him and let him begin.

"You weren't surprised to see me. I know you figured it out. I didn't realize when I assigned you, Steph also knew you. I haven't followed her life since she was 24 and I begun this position. Now tell me what happened since the safe house.

I told him the practiced story Steph and I had come up with as well as our run in with Cross in Rome.

"After the safe house was compromised I looked into Steph's full background. It was surprising to say the least and dangerous. Did you tell her about the adoption?"

"No Sir."

"She will arrive in another hour... Are you the father of her baby?"

He said baby not babies. She didn't tell anyone, he must have seen a tell from the SUV. I watched her close though and didn't see her give anything away.

"I could tell. She has the same glow as her mother. She's the spitting image of her."

"Yes Sir."

"I'm sure you both have questions but I'm only telling this story once and it will be with her. Because of her condition you are welcome in the room but the information doesn't leave that room. This knowledge will not be spoke of again and you will not receive any special treatment. This will also not affect your contract. Will you be re-signing a new contract when it expires?"

"I'm undecided Sir." I really wasn't. I was getting out but I didn't want to show my hand. If you told your superiors you planned to leave they would send you out on the most dangerous missions because you were about to become worthless to them.

"Will any future threats be an issue for her?"

"I never say never. But the original threat has been neutralized. As long as no one puts together my relationship with Rose she should remain safe. As far as I know that's just you and me. But I will explain that when she arrives. She knows nothing of me and I want to maintain that. You will call me Ethan and not Sir or General. I will do all the talking. I expect you to not interrupt."

We moved into the living room and waited for Babe. You could hear her a mile away. Stealth wasn't her style.

"This is ridiculous Thor. I can't walk if I'm blind folded. I'm going to be pissed if you walk me into a wall." Thor removed her blind fold and she seemed surprised to see Ethan standing in front of her. Thor left immediately before he spoke.

"Hello Rose. Been too long." He gave her a genuine smile and kissed her forehead.

She hugged and kissed his cheek. "Ethan you have a lot of explaining to do. What is this mess? Who did I piss off now? Can I go home?" He was warm with her and I was surprised. He was not a warm guy, but Babe brought out the best in people. If Tank saw this he still wouldn't believe it.

"Come sit. Let's take off your coat and talk. Ranger's here to meet me too and once we talk you may go home."

"Is this your house, its beautiful."

"One of them." He removed some papers from the table and started to explain things to her.

"The things I need to explain to you are complex and can't be talked about once you leave this room. If you feel you can't do that, then I will catch up with you briefly then send you on your way. Otherwise you sign this document and can not reveal this conversation under penalty of law. Believe me it will be enforced." Babe eyes widened. She read over the document and then signed her name. I had no doubt, she was the most curious person I knew.

Babe sat next to me on the couch and Ethan sat across from her.

"Stephanie I know your pregnant." Babe tensed. "Ranger didn't tell me but you are glowing I guessed. What I'm about to tell you will be upsetting but I ask you let me explain before you react. You have a child to think about so I need you to remain calm.

Thirty four years ago you were born outside the country. Your biological parents are not Helen and Frank Plum.

"WHAT!" Babe jumped up off the couch. "HOW IS THIS EVEN FUCKING POSSIBLE! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!" Babe started pacing and rambling. I stood up and grabbed her returning her back to the couch.

"Breathe babe, your pregnant breathe." I tucked her against my chest and rubbed her back. She pulled away from me after a few minutes and looked me dead in the eyes.

"Did you know?" I nodded. She pulled away from me looking so hurt.

"I trusted you! How could you lie to me!"

General Adam's used his commanding voice. "STOP IT and SIT DOWN NOW!"

Babe jumped and dropped back into her seat surprised. "Ranger was ordered not to tell you when he received his mission in September because it was my story to tell. If he had then he would be in prison for disobeying a direct order. Did you want that to happen Stephanie? Was knowing the truth more important then his freedom? If you weren't surprised I would have known he told you and trust me he wouldn't be here right now. Did you want that to happen?" Babe looked afraid.

"No I swear he didn't tell me. Don't punish him."

"I believe you, can I proceed now?" She nodded but didn't sit close to me anymore.

"Your mother's real name was Penelope Thornton but everyone called her Sweet Pea. She was an only child, she never knew her father and her mother was a waitress who died in a car accident when Penelope was 20. She worked for the government collecting intel and I was her partner at that time. She didn't know she was pregnant with you until she collapsed in front of her mark, her then boyfriend she was collecting the intel on. He was an arms dealer and she was to pose as his long term girlfriend. She was undercover for a year when she discovered the pregnancy.

At the time her mark had many girlfriends but she was his favorite. When she collapsed, his personal physician discovered you and she became trapped. He was hoping for a male heir and planned to marry her if she had a boy. Sweet Pea was locked up in his personal compound surrounded with guards and unable to leave on her own. Anything she needed was brought to the compound. When she missed check ins I investigated and heard the news. I contacted our supervisor and he said to leave her, eventually she would deliver intel and luckily be married to him for better information. So I waited and watched for months.

Your mother had these instincts and feelings. She could tell when a situation was going to be bad, it was like nothing I've ever seen. She had those feelings the day you were born. She knew she had to escape so she attacked her guards, stole a car and got out of the compound. I chased her in my car and eventually met up with her, but by then she was injured and thought she was in labor.

Because of our lack of communication for months she got scared and impulsive so she decided to make a run for it with you. I asked her why she ran and she told me she had a bad feeling and she couldn't be sure who the father was. Her boyfriend at the time had other girlfriend's that started the rumor that the baby wasn't his to try and get back in his favor so he started to treat her poorly. We couldn't go to a hospital, that would have been the first place they would have checked, so I made it look like she died in a car accident on a bridge and got her to a private doctor.

Eventually I paid off a doctor to help her but her injuries were too severe and you were delivered by a C section. She didn't make it... Our supervisor at the time knew a nurse and I met with her in Trenton to deliver you to your new parents. I paid off the doctor and got you a birth certificate.

I didn't realize you had a high profile in Trenton but it doesn't surprise me. Your mother was great too. I didn't keep track of you after you turned 24, I accepted a position where it wasn't safe to have any relationships with anyone. But because you look so much like your mother your picture was in the paper in Philadelphia from a story they picked up from The Trenton Gazette. Someone I knew and trusted his name was Braxton knew your mother too and recognized you.

He heard rumors of her pregnancy but I made it look like both of you had died in a car accident, so no one would look for you. He hired someone to hack into some confidential files and discovered you didn't die. I received an alert right away that someone accessed the record. I always had a team in place if you were ever in danger because of my past or your mother's.

You were taken and brought to Ranger for him to protect you but you don't know the reason why. The arms dealer never believed you had died. He placed a large amount of money on your head to be found. Braxton knew about the reward in the past but months ago it increased substantially due to a serious diagnoses of multiple organ failure of your mother's mark. No one matched this man for a donation and he needed his missing child to save him. He increased the reward to almost every cent he had for you to be found. He wanted to use you for parts to save his own life." Babe grabbed her stomach and started to shake a little. I put my arm around her.

"With you looking so much like Sweat Pea, Braxton researched you and matched the pictures in your file with the paper. But he didn't know I had a plan in place for your safety. He was going to sell you back for the money then plan on taking over my position. He was tired of being number two. He even tried to turn your other guard and offer him more money to reveal your whereabouts, as far as I know Mr. White has been cleared but will maintain under my watchful eye. The arms dealer that offered money for you died 15 days ago, his family has no interest in you. Braxton was waiting to have you in hand to alert him. He hired several men but once it was discovered Braxton had passed away in a car accident, men stopped looking for you. I made sure. You should remain safe now unless you divulge what we talked about today."

SPOV

I feel sick, light headed, angry, scared, hurt. I just wanted to crawl in a ball and cry for days. I've never felt this bad before. With tears in my eyes I asked the most important question I could think of at the moment.

"Who is my father?"

"I didn't know until you were six and then I had to find out. I took your hair from your brush. I was your biological father but I didn't know at the time. We didn't love each other, we were only together once."

"Why didn't you keep me? Have me tested as a baby?"

"I was in shock, even if you were mine I had a contract and I didn't want to be a father. I had no way to take care of you, no family. I grew up with my grandmother after my parents died in a plane crash."

"How did the Plum's get chosen? Did you know them?"

"No, I didn't. I looked into them later after I spent time with you. Your mother was pregnant with another child and lost it at Point Pleasant while on vacation. I think she was 7 months and knew someone who was offering a baby. She kept it quiet until they picked you up from the hospital. You will have to ask them the details."

"How could you leave me with them! You saw what I grew up with! You saw how alone I was." I just let the tears stream down my face.

"I didn't have any other alternative." He reached into the side table near his chair and pulled out a large manila envelope and left it on my lap.

"I know you hate me, but you were going to discover some of this information on your 35th birthday. This envelope will explain. I have to go now. Goodbye my little Rose." He got up and walked out of the room. I broke into gut wrenching sobs that I tried to muffle into Ranger's chest. Ranger just held me while I let all of my sadness and anger pour out of me.

I don't cry in front of people, I don't like showing weakness especially to Ranger but I couldn't help it. I don't know how long we were sitting together but Ranger eventually picked me up when I was only down to a sniffle. He took a blanket from the house and our bags and got me into the back of a SUV. I don't even know how we got onto a plane or how long I was in his arms but eventually I must have fallen asleep.

I woke up on the plane for home. I hadn't spoken since my time with Ethan. . I couldn't talk yet. I felt I was mourning. Mourning the mother I didn't know, the father that didn't want me, my painful childhood of feeling like such an outcast. I felt my heart hurt from my parents lying to me.

I looked into Ranger's eyes. "I don't know where I belong anymore."

"With me. Always with me." He kissed me deeply and kept his arms around me.

"Are you hiding anymore secrets from me that I should know about myself?"

"No. But when you are ready I know your parents side of the story because Tank discovered it in his investigation. No one knows but him and your parents about your adoption. You don't have to talk to them, you can read it and take time. I'm here for you."

"I'll read it eventually. I'm not ready to see them for a while. I don't want them to know I'm even back yet." Ranger nodded.

Ranger went into his bag and grabbed the large envelope Ethan gave to me before he left.

"You should open this, it may be important."

"Will you. I can't take much more today. If it's bad don't tell me today."

Ranger opened it up and read over the documents while I closed my eyes and breathed him in.

"It's not exactly bad, but you will want to see this."

I looked at the document he showed me. It was my name on a Swiss bank account with a ton of zeros.

"Holy shit what is this?"

"It looks like your biological mother's will and her accounts and assets were put into a bank account for you to receive on your 35th birthday, however Ethan waived it so you and only you have access to the money now. He also has papers for you to conceal carry in NJ under your name along with two aliases. He's included passports, ids, birth certificates, social security cards along with gun permits and conceal carry licenses for each name. It says to use them in an emergency."

"Why would he do this?"

"I think he cares about you in his own way and this is him trying to show you. Maybe make up for it. We may never know."

"This is an insane amount of money Ranger. I can't use this. It isn't mine. I didn't even know her."

"It is yours. As her daughter you inherited it, you should spend it how you see fit."

"I'll lose it all. I won't be responsible I'll just buy shoes."

"I'll set you up with my money manager when we return. He will make sure you are responsible in making choices and investments. This is a good thing Babe. You were concerned over not having a nest egg or a job now you have your security to take your time and do what you want to do."

"If anything I'll pay you back first for the cars and man hours you have spent. O geeze and the clothes." Ranger looked angry.

"No you won't. I won't accept it. We never had a price between us I won't accept any now. Your my woman and the mother of my children. I take care of my own." I tried to fight back but he kissed me and I forgot the conversation. I'll just but him something really expensive for Christmas.

"Tank will have an SUV waiting for us when we land. I will get an update from him and then we are going to work out of my office in the apartment. When your ready to talk we will. I love you."

"I love you too. I just need time to process."

The plane landed and I saw Tank with a grim expression on his face.

**Note: The story won't be ending anytime soon, lots more to come. **


	23. Chapter 23

TPOV

I watched Ranger and Steph exit the private plane.

"You two look like shit."

"Thanks Columbo. Why don't you catch me up. Where's my hamster?"

SPOV

"Ella has him. Your grandmother is living in your apartment, she had a big fight with your parents. Dillon's watching her since the break in last week, your Grandma said your .38 Special was missing from the cookie jar. I filed a police report about it but your Grandma said nothing else was gone. You will need to check it out yourself. Your sister Val is pregnant, Kloughn got a vasectomy, Morelli's looking for you and your mother keeps calling." He continued to tell me about my cover in Miami and finally his investigation. I felt numb. Ranger was driving and kept checking me in the rear view mirror.

"Ranger pull over I'm sick." I barely got the door open tossing my cookies in the grass. Tank got out immediately and held my hair.

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to update you."

"It's fine. It wasn't all you, I'm knocked up."

Tank got close to me and whispered "O shit. By who?"

I looked him in the eyes. "Ranger didn't tell you?" He shook his head.

"I'm pregnant with his twins."

"Does he know that?"

"Of course."

"Geeze twins. I think I need to sit down a while." Tank walked back to the car and I followed."

"Babe what did you do to him? He's pale and mumbling?" Tank was rubbing his hands over his face.

"I told him about the bat babies, he seems to be close to a fit."

"I'm not having a fit. I'm trying to wrap my head around you pregnant and carrying a gun in your shoulder holster. Then I picture our men chasing two toddlers that have you and Ranger's genes. They will be trouble makers."

"A seer told me they will be boys. Ranger thinks she was a fake but she has be right so far."

"I don't mess with that shit, I met a Voodoo priest once and lost all my hair." Ranger started chuckling and I felt horrified for Tank.

"Boys we can handle. We can make baby boot camp and wrestle."

"Wait till you hear Ranger's security plan for "The Walking Dead," I'm sure it's close to his plan for this pregnancy." I gave him a cheeky grin and saw Ranger raise his eyebrow at me.

"Report." Tank fell back into line.

"Eight break ins, no losses, twelve new accounts, six new employees, profits up, two minor injuries. Santos needs a call due to Rachel." Ranger just nodded. I really wanted to ask about Rachel but I had my own shit to deal with already.

We arrived at Rangeman and made our way together up to 7. Rex was sleeping in his soup can so I tapped his glass to wake him.

"Hey buddy, you look good. We will have to get Ella a special gift for watching you. Guess what? You are getting two new siblings and we aren't poor anymore. So I'll buy you new digs first chance I can." I rubbed his soft skin.

"Are you talking to a hamster?"

"Yeah. I bet you talk to your cats it's no different." I heard Tank mumble something.

Tank went into the office and Ranger kissed me before I went to the bathroom. I took a long hot shower but I had no more tears left. When I was finished I put on Ranger's robe then crawled into his big bed to rest.

RPOV

I had 10 missed calls from Rachel. I decided to tackle those later tonight. Morelli was looking for Steph and a few random street people left me a few pieces of info from the street. I had one from Jeanne Ellen informing me she found bugs from radio shack in her house and car. She wanted my help and protection. That's not happening.

Tank was organizing the paperwork to go over everything. I read over his status report and handed him all the new procedures I wrote while in Greece. I read his paperwork and he read mine. I had at least two weeks worth of work to catch up on if I put in long days. I took a break and called my money manager. The accounts were all in good standing and I added Babe to all my bank accounts to have a credit card issued. I know she doesn't need my money but I like taking care of her.

I also set up an appoint for tomorrow morning for her to meet Anderson to manage her money. He doesn't take on many new clients but he was doing it as a favor to me. Next I called my accountants in NJ and Miami and checked the spread sheets. I looked over the break in reports and signed off on them.

By the time we were done it was 9 in the evening and Babe had slept all day. Ella left us dinner but I didn't wake Steph, she needed the rest. When I told Ella Steph was moving in she got excited. When I told her about the babies she screamed and started clapping. I explained Steph's new diet along with her likes and dislikes. I also mentioned Babe's estrangement from her family and how she likes pineapple upside down cake. Tomorrow she could use one just this once. Ella practically skipped away with glee.

"Are you okay with this whole thing? You haven't said much. Are you getting married?"

"Stephanie doesn't want too because of the babies. I was freaked and shocked at first, but she has grown a lot in the last few months. You saw her with her gun. Once I found out she was pregnant my protective instincts doubled. Steph isn't Rachel. I'm going to be with her for every step but if I get called away I need you to step in and look out for her till I find her a number two."

"I'm happy for you. Took you two long enough. You should know Morelli's got a woman, a cross between Steph and Terri. Cooks, cleans but he doesn't seem 100% in it and she is 200% in that relationship. Jeanne Ellen still has a shadow but it took her four weeks to find the bugs. She seems real paranoid now but she doesn't suspect us. I recommend adding her in Steph's protocol to keep her away." I nodded. "Go home. We will pick up tomorrow. I need to call Rachel."

"Damn. I've talked to her. Santos talks to her all the time, it's bullshit complaints. I've researched the men he placed myself, I know you feel responsible but enough is enough."

"Dismissed."

I rubbed my face and called Rachel.

"Hi Ranger glad your back. Did you get my messages?"

"Yes. And it's the same conversation since the beginning. Nothing will change. The men are highly trained." Rachel went on and on.

"Rachel I've spoken to Julie and your other kids, they are fine with the guards, Ron is fine, the only person having an issue is you. Stephanie has had a bodyguard in the past and will start having one daily and she doesn't take any issue with my men. I'm sure she will talk to you woman to woman and put any concerns you have to rest."

"Does she have children? She doesn't know how I feel."

"Actually she does. We haven't told anyone yet, so you need to keep this to yourself but Steph and I started dating a while ago and we recently found out she is pregnant with twins, who will each have a bodyguard. So she does understand."

Rachel was silent for a long time. "Are you getting married because of the baby? You haven't mentioned dating anyone in the past."

"We don't plan to marry at this time but I've known her a long time."

"Will this effect your child support or schooling payments?"

"No. I just wanted to inform you Steph is a permanent person in my life and I'll tell Julie next time we speak. Would you like Steph to call you about the security?"

"Not at this time... Sorry I guess I'm still in shock over your news. I just didn't expect you to want to be a father again."

"I care deeply for her."

"I have to go it's late. Bye Ranger."

SPOV

I woke up feeling well rested. I was surprise it was 430 in the morning but I had already slept over 14 hours.

"You want to walk on the treadmill while I work out?"

I thought about it. I'd usually say no because it is so early, but I didn't want to wallow all day again like yesterday. I needed to see Mary Lou today.

"Sure. A light work out. Eventually I need to get my hair trimmed it's too long. I kinda miss my curls."

"Ella put your clothes away and has workout ones in that drawer." I pulled on some three quarter black yoga pants and a skin tight stretchy black sports tank top. My boobs looked amazing, a full cup size bigger. I put on a light sport jacket to match and some green Nike's. I put on light makeup and put my straight hair in a high pony tail. Ranger wore a tight sleeveless t-shirt and some basketball shorts.

When I entered the gym, several men turned their heads not recognizing me at first. Then Ranger entered behind me and no one looked at him. I jumped on a treadmill and did a brisk walk for an hour then got on the mat to stretch. Ranger was sparring with Tank. Some guy I've never seen before walked up to me and checked out my rack.

"Eric and you? I've never seen you before. Did you just start?"

"Stephanie. No not exactly. I've done contract work occasionally depending on what's needed. Bodyguard, investigations, distractions and research desk. I use to be a bounty hunter."

He gave me a big smile and decided to stretch next to me.

"No offense you seem tiny to be a bounty hunter."

I shrugged my shoulders "I always caught my guy eventually. Are you new?"

"Yeah. Started in September, Ranger has to review me first to be full time. I'm guessing that's him with Tank." I looked over. They were throwing each other around, it was hot, turning me on.

"Yup."

"Hey Steph welcome back, shocked to see you in a gym let alone this early."

"Hi Hal. I've missed you too. Still single?" He blushed.

"Haven't found the right girl." He's huge and like a Saint Bernard puppy. I liked him a lot and one of the few people here I actually talked too.

"I'll keep my eyes peeled, I know she's out there." Hal gave me a small smile.

I moved over to the stationary bike for a while and Eric eventually followed. He seemed nice and he talks which is a plus. Most Rangeman says three words to me.

"So maybe we can get a coffee later after work if your not busy. I'm off at 8." I'm sweating like a pig and he just asked me out.

"Sorry I have a boyfriend." He didn't seem deterred.

"Your boyfriend doesn't have to know."

Another guy next to him on the weights was glaring at Eric trying to ESP him. I guess he heard the conversation and didn't know Ranger's unwritten rule that I was off limits even before we started officially dating. Ranger once told me I was considered his property in this building but I guess no one told Eric.

"My boyfriend doesn't share and trust me he wouldn't like this conversation, so for your own safety you should drop it."

"Who is your boyfriend?" He seemed cocky.

I pointed to Ranger and Tank still fighting. He swallowed hard.

"Tank?"

"No Ranger." He immediately paled.

"Your Stephanie Plum? Fuck. I mean...Excuse me ma'am" and he abruptly left. I broke out giggling and everyone turned around looking at me then seeing Eric run away from me as fast as he could tripping over his feet and rolling onto the mat taking out another guy with him.

Even Tank and Ranger stopped to watch when they heard me do a loud laughing howl and unlady like snort at his fall. They both had a raised eye brow at me. It felt good to laugh. I felt like shit yesterday, still do today but the edge is off. On that note I went upstairs to shower. I'm sure I had a million calls and needed to check my phone and get my purse at my apartment then speak to Grandma Mazur.

I've decided if grandma wants to continue living in my apartment or somewhere nicer she can, it will be my Christmas gift to her every year to pay for rent and utilities. I've also decided to research cars and buy Ranger a new one for Christmas. Something very special for everything he has done for me. I plan on talking to Tank for his opinion.

Ranger jumped in the shower and started making out with me, turning it into some hard and fast shower sex.

He ordered us breakfast and Ella practically tackled me in excitement wanting to know everything from food to my due date.

"My money manager Anderson can see you first thing at 830 today, his office is down the street. Cal will be your guard, take the Cayenne. Are you dressed?"

"I unzipped my leather jacket to show him my shoulder holster." Ranger came around the table and whispered in my ear "if Tank wasn't expecting me in five minutes I'd take you again on this table." He kissed me lightly on the lips. "I'll be in my office all day if you need me. Ella will have dinner at 630 for us, don't forget your papers for Anderson."

I dressed in my fancier clothes from my adventure with Ranger today, dark jeans, high over the knee boots with a v-neck shirt and a leather jacket. I looked pretty bad ass. I took off my engagement ring last night but moved the diamond black and white wedding band to my opposite ring finger. It felt weird not wearing my rings after so many months but Ranger didn't comment. He placed his in the safe with the engagement ring.

Fifteen minutes before my appointment I went down to the garage and met Cal. He rarely talked and today I didn't have much to say. I was nervous to trust my money with Anderson but if Ranger used him he must be good and fully background checked. His office was nice and expensive. Cal took position outside Anderson's office door.

"Stephanie?"

"Yes Hi you must be Anderson."

"Ranger explained to me you wanted help managing money and wanted as much privacy and protection possible. Do you have your paperwork?"

"It's standard for me to background clients and I wasn't sure what kind of account you had, this one didn't show up in a search of you because it is Swiss. Unless you transferred money or had a debit card set up to the account no one would ever know. My suggestion is for me to set up a company in your name to protect your privacy. When you make purchases it will look like the company making purchases's and not lead directly back to you protecting your privacy. I see it was an inheritance, I'm sorry for your loss but I want to ask you your financial goals. I see in the past you lived pay check to pay check."

"I'm still figuring that out, between the two of us I want to buy Ranger a new car for Christmas, pay for my grandmother's apartment and get my niece horse back riding lessons for the year. That's as far as I got."

"I see your employed as a bounty hunter. Are you continuing with that?"

"Not at the moment. I'm still deciding my next step."

"My suggestion would be investing in some real estate. Prices are low now and you'll save by owning and not renting. If your anything like Ranger you'll want non disclosure agreements with anyone that works with you and I know the best Realtor. I'll copy her number. I don't recommend stocks their volatile, I usually suggest in investing in growing businesses, tech firms, some restaurants, apartment complexes. I'll mark up some interests I feel are good for you now having met you. I need you to look over these documents and sign off that I can handle your interests and then we will talk about your concerns."

The papers were simple just explaining his nondisclosure of whatever we discussed, his ability to move money only based on my approval so I signed.

"Now your concerns."

"I've never had this amount of money before, living pay check to pay check then becoming a millionaire over night is scary. I don't want to run out in my life time. My goal is to not waste it and pass it on to my children one day. I want goals that will maintain the wealth I've inherited."

"I understand. I'll make sure any investments is worth your time and will improve your portfolio but I must warn you, going from nothing to money, people are going to come to you if they haven't already. I suggest not giving anyone hand outs, your money will dry up real quick after a few years. Having your own business would be a good cover for an influx of cash. Is that something you would consider? We can put your assets in one name and your business in another for protection."

"I don't know what kind of business I would run."

"That's the thing it can be anything as long as you have a name and address you don't even need to see clients. I don't want to be too forward but I've read the papers, you are an investigator and a bounty hunter. You could offer an investigation business and charge any fee, see as many or little clients as you choose. Set up a cell phone as your business line and have a one room office with a bathroom where ever you choose making your own hours."

That actually sounded like a decent idea. I'd have a job, my own hours, I'd be my own boss and take the cases I wanted since I didn't need the money.

"I like it, how can we start all of that."

"I know a lawyer within our firm let me make a call so he can come over."

"I don't like lawyers, I use to be married to one."

"If it makes you feel better Ranger uses him also, you can call to check with him first. His name is Douglas."

I sent a text to Ranger asking him if Douglas was a good lawyer and if I should use him. He responded right away with a yes.

"Yes I'll meet with him."

"Good. The last thing I'm concerned about it is that you don't have a living will or a power of attorney. I only mention it because of the amount involved in case of your passing could be a war within your family. You will want to talk to Douglas about this to make sure your wishes are executed as soon as possible to protect yourself."

I really didn't want to talk about my own death so I just nodded. Douglas came in at the end of the meeting and he told him what I wanted moving me to his office next.

"Do you have a business name in mind? Anderson said you wanted privacy so use could use gumshoe or sleuth in the title or if you want to play off your notoriety... Stephanie Plum Investigations, Plum Investigations, Trenton Investigations, Bombshell Investigations. If you want it to be a legitimate business eventually as a real career I'd go with the notoriety in my opinion."

"Normally I'd use my name but it's complicated family wise, so I'd rather not. I know a similar agency to Trenton Investigations so that's out, Bombshell makes it sound like things blow up around me."

"No. It makes you sound beautiful and you are. I always thought you got the name for your looks, not fires. In my opinion it's the best for your business without using your name directly but it's up to you. We can use it for now and change it eventually, it doesn't have to be set in stone."

"Ok for now."

"Good let me start drawing up the papers. Your business needs an address to file, I need you to fill out these papers for a PO box. It's for your privacy but also a quick address, it can eventually be changed if you find a location."

"Actually I need two boxes one for private mail, one for business."

"Of course. Fill these out and my assistant will go down the street for you right now so we can continue."

I forwarded my mail to my new PO box and was starting to feel less stressed. We spent our time drawing up contracts for my new business and him giving me non disclosures to have people sign if I worked with them, hired employees, used a Realtor or made a large purchase. Anytime I did use one they had to be dropped off to him or certified mailed to him to keep on file. Anderson set up two businesses for me and had me fill out bank information for a private bank outside of Trenton. Anytime I needed to use my Swiss account for investments or large purchases I'd use new Black Enterprises account, a nod to Ranger. My business would be Bombshell Investigations as my job with a smaller business account attached. Only $5,000 in that account to start.

"I suggest you close your account at Trenton National and close out your credit cards. You will have a new credit card issued for Black Enterprises instead. What limits do you want? I know your concerned with over spending."

"Umm no more then $1500 for the credit card however I want to buy Ranger a car. How do I do that? Cashiers check?"

"Yes exactly or a check from Black Enterprises. However you would have to speak to him regarding registration from what I remember Tank handles that under his business name. Do you mind me asking what kind just out of curiosity. I won't tell him."

"I don't know yet, a Porsche, Lamborghini, Aston Martin. I haven't decided. I rarely buy new cars, I have shitty luck so I'll probably buy myself a New Honda CRV just in case for myself instead of anything expensive."

"Well everything will be set up in three days. You will need to return... how's 9 am? You may just need to sign a few things and pick up your cards and checks as well as your business papers."

"That's fine."

"Great. Now the last thing is your will, no one likes to do it but it's important. I can have something simple drawn up and you can sign in three days. What are your wishes?"

"Between the two of us right."

"Of course client confidentiality."

"Well I'm pregnant right now with twins so if anything happens to me I want them taken care off. I also want my grandmother's living and apartment expenses handled till she passes. My sister has five children, I want each of them to receive $100,000 each, my sister Val $100,000, my best friend Mary Lou to receive $500,000. Ranger I want to have my personal effects, any property from Black Enterprises including a car and my hamster Rex. Lula $100,000 as well as Connie. I want Ranger to be my executor. He doesn't need my money so I want the majority for my twins with Ranger as a conservator of their trust fund. If he is unable, I would like to appoint Mary Lou as my second executor then Tank."

"Alright I just need full names next to what I have written down, then double check your wishes."

I knew everyone's name except Tank's. I pulled out the phone Ranger had me borrow this morning and texted Ranger.

_I need Tank's real name for my will._

_Pierre Leblanc. He says he doesn't want Rex._

_Ouch. That is your honor anyway. I made sure to add in depth wishes regarding his care. Wink._

_Babe._

That Babe meant I hope your kidding.

At the end of the meeting I was feeling more confident about the money and who I had entrusted to help me monitor it.

Cal followed me out to the car. "I just realize I don't have my license, you should drive. We need to hit my apartment next, I need my wallet and to talk to my grandma."

I decided to take the stairs to avoid Mrs. Bestler and keep as many residents as possible from seeing me. I knocked on the door loudly then after a few minutes Cal broke in. Grandma was cooking in the kitchen.

"Hey baby girl your back! I'm so happy to see you. I'm sorry I moved in. I can move out tonight I just wanted to take care of your place while you were gone."

"That's not necessary. I wanted to talk to you about that. I've started my own business after my big case and I've come into some money. I want you to continue living here or anywhere else you want and I'll pay rent and expenses. You just need to cover food and transportation."

"Wow! I couldn't. It would cost too much."

"I can afford it but that's just between us. I don't want anyone to know I'm helping you, just say you won a scratch off. I don't want anyone in my business. I'm only taking my clothes and personal items, the rest is for you to change as you want."

"Ok but if it gets to much, I'll move out. I love it here."

Grandma updated me on everyone in the Burg, Val, Morelli and his new girlfriend Ella. I was kinda thankful he had moved on maybe it wouldn't be so weird after all.

"So I need to tell you some things but you need to keep it to yourself until I tell you it is ok to tell anyone."

"Sure what's new?"

"I'm dating Ranger and I'm pregnant with his twins."

My grandma screamed jumping up and down eventually Cal ran with his gun out.

"Sorry Cal!"

Grandma kept hugging me. "I'm sooo excited! Looking at his package was like looking at the eye of a cobra, I've said it time and again it was magical. I'm so happy for you! Why not tell anyone?"

"It's for my safety, you know we both have enemies."

"Of course, so now I understand why you created your business, you can't bounty hunt anymore. I'm sad about that but so happy to be a Great Grandma."

"Your already a Great Grandma Val's five remember?"

"Yeah but your special, your like me. I'm soo excited! Our numbers are increasing! But I want to be the one that announces to everyone when your ready."

"I'm soo excited, I'm gonna go over and get the rest of my stuff and Big Blue to live here."

"Ok but don't tell anyone I'm back in town. I'm keeping a low profile to get some stuff done before everyone jumps on me."

I grabbed my purse, laptop and cookie jar, I searched the apartment for the gun and anything else missing. I didn't see anything valuable gone. Weird.

"I'll call Dillon about the changes and I will talk to Ranger about a security system for you then buy a sign that says I've moved. I don't want you to get hurt by being here, so call me if you have any trouble." We said our goodbyes and Cal and I made our way back to the car. We were almost out of Trenton on our way to the Apple store when I saw some lights flash in my mirror.

"Fuck its Morelli! Fuck! How did he see me I thought these windows have a dark tint?"

"They do. He thinks your Ranger."

Fight or flight, fight or flight. Flight. I took off my seat belt and got into the storage space in the back of the SUV.

"Stop looking at me! Get in that driver's seat now!"

Cal looked at me like I was crazy but climbed into the driver's seat as Morelli knocked on the window.

"Ranger... where is he? This is his car."

"I'm getting it detailed."

He grumbled a little. "Tell him to call me when he gets back." He stormed off.

"Thanks Cal, it's a long story but can you drive us to the Apple store now and keep that incident between us."

I got to the store and picked up two new phones. Blue for personal and a new green for work. I transferred my old number to my new work cell and texted Ranger my new numbers. Within moments the Rangeman phone beeped with an update in the contact list for all Rangeman personnel with my two numbers. That is neat. I went two stores down to a stationary boutique and had new business cards made. I chose a simple design for Bombshell Investigations with a story book script as my name, number with the PO Box embossed. I also picked up a new Platinum case to hold my cards in to match my charm bracelet.

I called Mary Lou next creating a meeting at Rangeman for 8 pm in conference room one along with my new numbers. I really needed to talk to her about my family drama and get my head on straight. I felt like I was dealing with everything but that and Morelli. I wasn't ready to do the bonds office today, so I would attempt that tomorrow.

I ran my mental to do list in order. I had to pack up my things left at my apartment, talk to Vinnie, the girls and my parents. Anderson said I could get an office or work from home for my new business. I don't see myself operating out of Ranger's apartment but I'm not ready for an office just yet. I didn't want to waste the money. I also thought about not having anywhere to live if Ranger decides in a few months that dating and babies aren't his thing. He has been really great but maybe I should look up some listings just in case.

Anderson did tell me to purchase a property as an investment, maybe I can use it as an office too and stay at Rangeman at night. Ranger has a big plan to redo the penthouse but it would need a lot of work. It would probably just be easier for me to buy. I pulled out the number to the real estate agent Anderson gave me. Kimberly Lane. I decided looking wouldn't kill me, maybe give me ideas for what I want in the future.

"Lane Realty how may I help you?"

"Hi my name is Stephanie and I may be interested in purchasing an office or property. I'm not sure yet, I was referred by Anderson."

"Of course Anderson, I had a cancellation today how about you come over now. I'm just ordering lunch and we can discuss. What can I order for you? "

"Umm a Greek salad extra black olives, no green with vinaigrette and I have... an associate of mine coming too, his name is Cal get him a cheese steak with the works."

"I'm not suppose to eat on the job."

"Well I won't tell if you won't."

We arrived at the large home on the edge of Ewing and entered the office. An assistant walked us back to meet Lane, she preferred it over Kim. I had an NDA in hand and when Lane saw it she immediately knew how Anderson and Douglas operated.

"So what kind of property are you interested in, is this your spouse?"

"No my friend Cal. I've recently started a business and I need an office. I'd like to own over renting because Anderson told me that was the better investment but I wouldn't be opposed to maybe something with a few bedrooms too. The space I'm living in now is small and although it will be renovated, I'm not sure if it will be enough yet."

"Ok what are your long term goals? Are you looking to have children in the future?"

"Yes I will. Two and a spouse. I don't think I'm ready for a home though, too much up keep for me but possibly in the future."

"Ok well tell me your dream home and I'll print off some listings now you can just take with you for the future. You can purchase it as an investment and rent it out or live in it yourself one day."

"For myself I would need a minimum of 4 bedrooms." One for me and Ranger, one for each baby and one for a guest room. "And at least two baths, two offices and a gym, something with a yard for a play ground, possibly a pool. Nothing too crazy, something secured maybe gated community not a fixer upper, I want finished."

Cal spoke up. "Nothing with hills or mountains that have a high elevation over the house or neighbors with in a quarter of a mile, preferably a wall or fencing around the house or property would be optimal or can be added on and at least a two car garage attached."

Huh those are actually good ideas for security. I'm kinda glad I brought him in with me now. He just continued to munch away.

"Price wise and location?"

"Umm definitely under $400,000 but I'd like something priced well for the market and anywhere within 15 minutes of downtown Trenton but not the Burg."

"Ok I'm letting my computer run the listings. Now lets talk about your office just in case that's what you want. What are you looking for?"

"Secure location, nothing to large it's just me, maybe with a full bathroom and fridge. Preferably in downtown Trenton near Hayward is a good area and has a lot of amenities. Preferably updated and to buy not rent if at all possible." She had a laptop and started printing off listings for me. By now we all finished eating. She found about 20 houses for me but I was really here for an office. Out of 20 offices I nixed five off the bat because they were ugly and a few were way to expensive. I narrowed it down to five.

"Ok when would you like to see them? Today?"

I nodded. "The houses Anderson was interested in I put a star on it for you to discuss with him. Those are priced under market value in good areas and in a few years will be worth a lot more." I started going through the pile. Nothing was catching my eye right away. It didn't say me and it definitely didn't say me or Ranger. Only four were an option so I took them with me.

"Would you like to view those too today?" I sighed. "I really shouldn't, I'm really not looking to buy a house at this moment but maybe after the office, I have to go back in three days any way and I'll talk to Anderson about what I see."

We took two separate cars and went to the first location. It was in a nice area, simple stores near by and a deli shop for lunches but the office didn't give me a good vibe.

"Who are the other tenants?"

As soon as she said "Orr" among other names I was ready to leave.

"Pass next."

The next building was plain but seemed to have issues with water damage. We moved onto the last location which was near Rangeman, that was a plus but I didn't get a good feeling about it.

"Did you like anything?"

"No I just didn't get a good feeling, I need to think about it."

"No problem. You have my card when your ready." I thanked her for her time and Cal and I made our way back to Rangeman.

"O shit, can Mary Lou even get into Rangeman at 8? Do I need to call the front desk or something? Am I allowed a visitor?"

Cal looked like he was thinking. "Let me find out. He called the control room and asked to bring up my security clearance."

"You personally are allowed full access to any floor. You are allowed one guest who can not go pass the second floor, I left Mary Lou's name at the front desk. In the future you just have to call the control room."

"Cool. Thanks for helping me today. I know its really boring, I'm sure you'd rather do a lot of other things."

"No most of the guys like guarding you. Your respectful, you go to interesting places and their is usually a shot we may get some action with you then patrolling. Trust me it's a fight to guard you."

"That's pretty sweet. I never knew, we have never talked much but I'm sorry you saw my sister have a baby and got hurt. I promise to try and not do that around you."

He gave me a smile."Thanks."

We returned to Rangeman and I felt exhausted all of a sudden. I had to lay down on the couch. I heard Ranger drop his keys into the dish and look for me.

"You ok?"

"Yeah I'm exhausted I can't move." I could smell dinner on the table so Ranger picked me up and carried me to the chair.

"I've decided to become a gumshoe." Ranger smiled.

"I heard. It fits you well. Now I can give you cases that Rangeman clients sometimes ask Rangeman for, but we don't handle."

"Who handles them now? What kind of cases?"

"Sometimes affairs or missing people it varies. I give them to the police sometimes or Martin who is a PI in Princeton but he doesn't always take the referral. He gets a lot of cases of his own."

"You don't give them to Jeanne Ellen? Isn't she a PI/bounty hunter?"

"No. I want my clients to have the best. She isn't the best."

"She is kinda like you but a woman. People call her Cat Woman."

"She's sloppy, over confident, difficult to work with and very manipulative. You should watch your back around her."

"Always."

"I heard Morelli stopped the Porsche today."

"What! I can't believe Cal sold me out!"

"He didn't, he told Eddie Garza and Eddie told Tank that Cal was driving my car alone. I just assumed you were hiding. Any reason?" His lips were twitching in amusement.

"I'm not ready to talk to him, I'm a big chicken and I need to talk to Mary Lou at 8 tonight downstairs without cameras on me in conference room one."

"I've upgraded your key chain, by clicking 2 times you can turn off cameras and sound however if you do not switch it back on when you leave the room it will automatically do it after 60 secs. You also have access to the gun range now.

Ranger told me about his day and the work he caught up on. He talked to a contractor about the penthouse and not much changes could be done with the space allowed, they could blow out walls and extend into the storage area on the other side but it wasn't going to be big enough for four people in a year.

I asked him about the Bat Cave again and he said he didn't have one, that when I was in this apartment with him then he considered it home. I was super bummed but he said we could find our own Bat Cave together. I showed him the paper work from my meetings today and he was surprised I named my account Black enterprises but gave me a megawatt smile.

He looked at some of the listings and liked the 4 houses I picked out, he had used Lane to find his properties too. He said maybe we could check them out on the weekends until the babies were born or live in Rangeman for the time being or have something built. Because Christmas was coming and the reviews for January our house hunting discussion would have to be tabled for a month so he could catch up.

Ranger went into his apartment office to make some calls and finish up his day when I received a text from Lou.

She was parking so I put on some sandals and grabbed my keys. I met her in the lobby and Eric made her wear a badge. I clicked off the surveillance and sat down with her.

"I've missed you, where have you been tell me everything! You look so tan."

"Miami and a case I can't talk about. I'm dating Ranger though and I'm pregnant and we are living together now."

"OMG! Are you happy? When are you due?"

"I am happy, I'm due in June but the Doctor says mid May is her guess." I told her about starting my business and she loved the name. I was still on the fence. I told her about having money from the big case to be financially stable now and she updated me more on the Burg and Morelli.

"Are you upset Joe moved on so fast?"

"No, I'm relieved, I saw him earlier and I hid so he wouldn't see me." It was fun catching up.

"So I called you because I found something out about myself that is really upsetting and I don't know how to feel or react or if I'm over reacting." She grabbed my hands. "I found out I'm adopted." I explained to her how my mom was pregnant and lost her baby and replaced her with me from a friend that had a baby available. I left out Ethan and the whole other mess entirely. I explained to her how my mom never told me and how Tank said my Dad at times did want to tell me but my Mom would have a hissy fit then wouldn't.

"Val and Grandma don't know and I don't exactly want to tell them because it might change how they feel about me."

"Holy Shit! I just thought you took after the Mazur side more because your complexion is more eastern European than Mediterranean. I wouldn't worry about telling Grandma Mazur she would love you regardless but be pissed at your mom for not telling her. Valerie, I don't know, you've never been really close even when she came home from her first divorce and you helped her and Albert. Eventually she just went back to her old ways and surrounded herself as a wife and mother and never talks to you unless it is a family dinner or holiday. It's your call but I wouldn't even bother getting her involved. I'd confront your parents and tell them you know."

"Are you going to look for your real parents?" I just shook my head "No I really didn't want to talk about that."

"What are you planning to do?"

"I don't know I'm angry and hurt for being lied too, you were my friend you saw what it was like and in Tank's report it said he dropped off counseling help and AA for her and as far as he knows she didn't go to either. I don't know, now that I know she didn't want me at first and I was just a replacement child I feel like she doesn't hold so much guilt over me anymore. I won't feel guilty about missing Thanksgiving or not calling her. I don't think I'm going to Christmas. I'm going to sit down and talk to them but I have the bat babies coming. I'm not going to have them around her if she is out of control and tries to take over. I'm not even planning to tell her, I want to hash out my birth first. I think I'm going tomorrow and depending how emotional I am hit the bonds office and maybe the mall. I need to buy a few thank you gifts for Tank and Ella."

"It sounds like your growing up a lot. I think Ranger's good for you. The old you would have went into denial land and hid. Their are times that works and other times it doesn't. I'm proud of you. If you need me for anything I'm here."

We discussed my fears of motherhood and pregnancy and I decided Mary Lou would help me get through it and put a lot of insecurities I had to rest. She also offered to be on call all the time to get me through the rough times especially if Ranger was away, she wanted to go to appointments with me. It was getting late so we said our goodbyes and made a plan for lunch next week to catch up again. I made may way back up to the apartment and Ranger was just coming out of the bathroom. I took off all my clothes and walked up to him placing my hands on his bare chest and looking into his eyes.

"I want you." Ranger dropped his pants and took me gently against the bed, both of us working out our hard day but savoring and filling each other with pleasure.


	24. Chapter 24

Note: Thank you all for the positive reviews! I have many adventures in my head for Steph and Ranger. I have received a few reviews regarding grammar and getting a beta, but I write between 5,000-8000 words daily just for fun on my tablet during my breaks in the day. I'm more a reader then a writer. If I had a beta I wouldn't post daily as I have. The purpose of this story was to inspire others to post daily and encourage new ideas. I hate waiting days for updates myself as a reader let alone months. So have fun and if it bothers you then I'm sorry it will never be 100% perfect. This is just a fun escape for me. I hope one day I will have the honor of reading each and every one of your stories because everyone on here has a unique mind and perspective. I took a chance 20 days ago and I hope you do too in posting something as well! Thank you!

P.S. an NDA= Non-Disclosure Agreement or also called a confidentiality agreement. Steph will be using them to keep people from disclosing her new financial status and anytime she makes a large purchase to protect herself from the Burg gossip or an enemy.

SPOV

I wanted to tackle my parents today but I lost my nerve first thing in the morning. I was a big chicken again. I called for a appointment with Mr. Alexander instead after enjoying breakfast with Ranger. Ranger had another full day in his office but I didn't mind. I thought I would miss spending every moment with him but I like being back home and starting my own routine again.

I was hoping to return to my natural curls today and cut back on my length to save on shampoo and grooming time. Mr. Alexander spent an hour cutting my hair so it fell just passed my shoulders while leaving most of my extensions in place for volume. He gave me new products to care for my hair and it was nice to see my old self back in the mirror again.

Ella has been busy. Yesterday she purchased baby books, name books, expecting journals, scrapbooks for the sonogram and videos then transformed the apartment with colorful pillows, throw blankets and flowers. When I woke up I thought it was a different apartment at first. I asked Ranger if he told Ella to make changes and he said she does as she pleases like me. If I hated anything I was welcome to make the apartment mine in anyway. I liked the new stuff but it wasn't very Ranger.

I would never order Ella to do anything, she works for Ranger not me. I told Ella I could do my own laundry but she seemed offended and didn't want me lifting anything. I don't mind her cooking but I only order something when Ranger does too otherwise I feel like I'm taking advantage. Ella even baked me a pineapple upside down cake as a welcoming gift and it was as good as my mom's. That helped me a little.

After breakfast Ella brought along a large booklet of different samples of Christmas cards to be sent out next week. She needed Ranger and I to pick a business one for Rangeman and a personal one from us. Ranger and I are not Christmas card people. We jointly agreed to pass on the personal card. Ranger barely looked at the samples and picked a black and white photo of a snowy scene on the very first page for Rangeman clients to receive. He could have cared less.

Ella wanted him to look at the entire book and I was trying not to laugh behind my glass of juice. I think she was hoping for the glitter option with the bright colors and ribbon but even I knew he would find a black option somehow for a cherry holiday. Ella had wrote different options that could go inside the card and Ranger nixed them all stating he only wanted "Happy Holidays" then a space with Rangeman underneath. I couldn't hold it in anymore, I burst into a fit of laughter. I told Ella that was her best bet for a Christmas card from Rangeman. I barely heard that many words from Ranger the first year I knew him.

After my appointment with Mr. Alexander I hit _Things Remembered_ at the mall and found a silver key chain that I had engraved with "Women Drive in My Bed Not My Car" for Tank. I wanted to get him something else so I looked online with my phone for a army quote and saw some great options. I picked "My Ops are Blacker Than Yours" to put on a silver travel coffee cup.

"Where do you think Tank shops Manny?" Manny just gave me a one shoulder shrug. My bodyguard today hasn't said one word to me. I typed army store into my phone and saw fifteen minutes away was a _Harry's Army and Navy_. That was my next stop for Tank and Ranger. Christmas was a few short weeks away. I walked into Macy's and got Ella a $50 gift card and a scarf that could also be used as a wrap as a thank you for babysitting Rex.

I also saw some adorable baby clothes that said _10 months Ago My Mommy Read 50 Shades of Grey_ and another that said _Made in America with Cuban Parts. _Grandma Mazur would get a kick from them so I scooped them up. I started really looking at items and found a few Batman shirts, shoes and another jumper that had the Batman symbol in the middle and underneath said _I Just Spent 9 months in the Bat Cave._ I purchased two for the bat babies to wear home from the hospital.

While I was paying I noticed bibs next to the register and one said _These Fools Put My Cape on Backwards, _making Manny laugh. I had to get two. I warned Manny we may see people I know and if anyone asks the items are for Val's new baby for Christmas. I drove us to the Army surplus store next and it was massive. I wasn't sure what I was looking for yet.

"Have you been here before? Does Rangeman shop here?"

"No they purchase online."

"Ok well you can help me. I'm thinking a small gift card for Tank to finish off his thank you gift from me then anything for him or Ranger for Christmas. Feel free to speak up at anytime." I had a feeling he would remain silent.

I found camouflage colored condoms that said _Don't Let Them See You Coming_ on the wrapper. Tank's single I think, condoms are always handy. I picked his size. I've never seen his little Tank first hand but Lula talked about it non stop once. I found Navy condoms too so I grabbed them for Joe with Navy boxers and a Navy travel coffee cup in silver. Even if we had a weird friendship for a while, I'll have Eddie Garza give him these gifts as a friendly gesture on my part.

I found different Army Ranger sayings on different baby clothes in white, blue and camouflage. I picked out several for Ranger's stocking. Some were funny like _My Ranger is Kind of a Big Deal_, _My Daddy Can Kick your Daddy's Ass_, _Little Ranger,_ _Proud Son of a Ranger_ and of course _My Ops are Blacker than Yours to match Tank's gift._ I found some Ranger thong's for me that said _Property of a Ranger_ and a pregnancy night shirt that said _Ranger Baby_ in the middle. Those would be gifts for myself.

I think Ranger will be amused and it will throw him off the scent of his real gift. I purchased Tank a $75 gift card for this store because Grandma told me how nice he was to her and for all the things I know he does for me that I'm sure I don't even know about. I also found a tan safari hat before checkout with a thin brown leather strap along the front. I imagined reading a jungle story to the bat babies while wearing this hat. Eventually when they grew old enough, I could see them wanting to act out adventures like I did. I made sure to take it home with me. This was a fun store.

I only had Val, Lisa, Kloughn, Tank, Ella, Connie and Lula left to Christmas shop for, but I wanted to wait till I had more access to my new bank account. I was still using my old Trenton account until tomorrow. I haven't decided on my parents yet if I will get them a gift. For Angie and Mary Alice I signed them up for riding lessons together for one year. I know Mary Alice thinks she is a horse but Angie can be very prim and proper. I saw her reading "Pride and Prejudice" once and that had horses in it from what I remember of the movie. I wanted them to do something together. Val and I are not as close as sisters should be, we never did the same activities growing up. I wanted to change that for my nieces. Grandma loves her apartment and I plan to buy her furnishings or items she needs for birthdays and different upcoming holidays instead of overwhelming her all at once to make her more comfortable. Ranger agreed to add a security system to her apartment tomorrow which I will pay for myself. We disagreed about the issue at first but he agreed I could pay as long as it was at a discount.

We pulled up to the bonds office and I got out with Manny. Lula and Connie looked at me with a shocked expression standing at the Windows waiving.

"White girl! Where the hell have you been! No call in months. We thought you died. We have so much to tell you!"

Lula went on about her name in the papers and her having to work with Vinnie. They also talked about how Tank gave them three guys to help out temporarily but only one guy is left, Alejandro from Philly. No last name like Cher. Just Alejandro. Nothing in his background check but he told them he was an ex Marine. Connie said he was fine with a capital f.

I explained I was in Miami and of course they noticed my ring tan line and a diamond band on my opposite hand but I told them it was from the case and I liked the colors. So now I use it as an everyday ring. I'd never tell them I felt the white diamonds represented me and the black diamonds was Ranger, it was personal. Lula and Connie had a huge crush on Alejandro and wouldn't stop talking about how much he flirted with them.

"So you want any cases? I have two for ya."

"Umm is Vinnie in?"

"No he had a suspicious rash in his special place." I cringed. I had no idea how he turned out the way he did. His mother was a good woman. It didn't make sense to me.

"Ok well I have some news but you can't say anything. If you do Ranger will be pissed and I can't protect you." I felt only fear would deter them from running off and calling everyone they knew.

"Can I trust you both?" They nodded.

"I'm not coming back anytime soon. Ranger and I are dating and I'm pregnant with his twins."

They both screamed like teenage girls seeing Justin Bieber entering a room.

"O my God you are carrying the Mother Fucking Bat Babies! Do you feel anything special? You had sex with the wizard! How was it! How big? How thick?" From Lula.

"Is he kinky? Was it like _50 Shades of Grey_ or a romance novel? How many times did it take? How does he rate compared to Morelli? How many times can he go in one night?" From Connie.

I raised my had to stop them. "I answer no questions. And if you say one word no access to the bat babies. The privacy is for my safety and you know what will happen if my safety is compromised. Ranger- will- find- you." They had wide eyes and didn't say anything for a long time. Eventually the girls continued to try and get me to talk about Ranger and my sex life but I didn't respond.

We heard the bell over the door and Manny stepped in front of me. I went for my gun. The man walked in wearing an Army uniform and had a CD player. I put my gun back in my shoulder holster. He was probably looking to bond someone out and brought the player as collateral. People did it all the time. Vinnie had a backroom full of crap until we had a yard sale to pay back the money for his ransom.

"Can I help you?" Connie asked.

"Yes I have a delivery for Stephanie Plum from Grandma Mazur." They pointed to me and then he put the CD player on the desk and the music started. She must have bought me a singing telegram or something. Weird.

LMFAO "Sexy and I Know it" started to play and I was confused. The man ripped off his uniform like he was on stage and only left on a very tiny G-string. I was frozen in shock. Lula and Connie started cheering while he shook was his mama gave him. Poor Manny was frozen in horror not sure what to do.

The dancer was trying to get close to me but Manny stepped in front. I was thankful for his presence, I didn't want a stranger touching me. I saw him move on to Lula and Connie dirty dancing and putting dollars in his thong. I covered my eyes shaking my head. Why did Grandma send him in the first place? After his song was over he gave me his Congratulations on my new business adventure with love from Grandma. I pulled out my cell phone and called her.

"Did you like it?"

"What were you thinking? How did you even know I was here?"

"You told me yesterday about your estimated time to be at the bond's office and the girl next door that owns that Mystery book store confirmed your arrival. Jimmy is a nice boy, I wish I could have been invited but I have a hot date. Jimmy works at the Snake Pit if you ever want another show or to mud wrestle him... Heads up someone spotted you at the mall parking lot so your Mom knows your in town."

"I figured. That's why that number is on silent right now. No more strippers please. I got to go."

"Your Granny is the best! Shit girl. I love her spunk, that just perked up my day and that dancing counts as a work out. I need a bucket of chicken so I don't waste away." Manny's eye's grew wide at Lula then he slammed his blank face down. Good man. If he made a comment about her weight he was on his own with her.

I just kept shaking my head. "I got to go before Morelli hears I'm here. Tell Vinnie I quit, if he has an issue refer him to my cell or Ranger's but don't say why. Later. I left before they could ask for more for dirt. Grandma's distraction was still fresh so it was perfect.

"I'm still in shock, you should drive us to the dollar store for wrapping paper, tape and cards to put on these gifts and my Christmas presents." I might have some money now but I will always be thrifty and shop sales.

Eventually we made it back to Rangeman and I carried my bags upstairs despite Manny's protest that I wasn't allowed to carry anything. I wrapped up all the gifts and signed a few cards. I found an empty suitcase and hid the rest of my purchases inside for Ranger. I called the control room for a location on Ella and Tank then hid my three car options to show Tank inside my jacket. I went to Ella first. She was in her commercial kitchen loading the dishwashers.

She loved my surprise and kept saying it was a pleasure to help but I've changed Rex's bedding, it isn't always fun. I talked to her about Christmas decorations for the penthouse and she told me Ranger never decorates the apartment. So I said I wanted decorations this year as our first Christmas together. Nothing crazy just a little festive and we needed a tree and stockings. We made a plan to go out together this weekend since she needed items for her own apartment.

Next I tracked down Tank in his office and gave him his gifts. He gave me a small smile and said he was touched.

"Now I need your help but it's secret." I pulled out the three cars I narrowed down for Ranger.

"Which one will Ranger love for Christmas? The Porsche 918 Spyder. It has a hard top but is also a convertible. The Maserati Granturismo or the Aston Martin DB 10? The color will of course be black and the interior mostly grey with touches of black. Fully loaded. I need to order it in the next few days then I assume it needs to be sent somewhere for alterations. Who handles those?"

"Al. Ranger has bomb sensors, GPS, special tires to fix flats, bullet resistant glass among a few other things. It takes a week but I'll call him now so he has the parts in stock once I help you. Ranger would love any of these. Are you sure you want to spend this much?"

"Positive and when it arrives you need to hide it from him till Christmas morning. Will you help me please! I'm not as covert as you guys. If I try this alone he will definitely know."

"Ya I'll help. Have the delivery be my house and I can store it in my garage a few days then drive it over Christmas morning at 8 am." Tank looked at the specs of each car again and narrowed it down to the Porsche and the Aston Martin.

"I'm struggling only because he likes Porsche's a lot. You see him, he keeps buying the same two kinds but the Aston Martin is sexy and classic... Go with the Porsche. It's faster."

I gave him a big smile. "That was my first thought too. Thanks! I have to call now, catch you later."

TPOV

I repacked my gifts from Steph into one of my Rangeman bags and walked into Ranger's office. I really was touched she thought of me. I rarely receive gifts from anyone other then Ranger and she took into account my needs and who I am instead of something generic. I have never been to _Harry's Army and Navy_ and now I can't wait to go this weekend. I knocked on Ranger's office and heard him say "Enter."

"Look at what Steph got me as a thank you." He looked into the bag and smirked.

"Babe."

"I'm only going to say this once. I'm never in your personal business but Steph is a good woman. You do right by her and treat her well or I will fuck you up." I grabbed my bag and left the room. Ranger better know how good she is for him. Her gift for him was way beyond generous. He doesn't receive many gifts either except occasionally from his family when he visits. I would kill for a woman to love me half as much as she loves him. She has a big heart and although Ranger is a good man and lives by his own code, he can be pig headed and stupid when it comes to Stephanie.

RPOV

I have no idea what just happened. Steph gave Tank a nice gift and he threatened me. It made no sense. I saw Manny file his report for his day with Steph so I checked it over before I went up for dinner. It seemed normal. She did some of her Christmas shopping and then threatened the girls at the bonds office using me as an incentive. Good. Then I read stripper from her Grandma Mazur and was annoyed. I don't need some guy touching my pregnant girlfriend in a G-string. I wanted to find him and punch him. Manny stated he had intervened and Babe was not touched but showed signs of being uncomfortable. It still pissed me off. My line started to ring. Control room.

"Morelli is on hold, wants to discuss a case with you."

"Connect us."

"Finally you came back. Is Steph safe and with you?"

"Yes."

"I'm coming over now. You need to see something. I don't know if Steph should be involved in this case, she may put herself in danger again. You will understand when you see the file. See you in 10 and put a man on Steph right now."

I checked to make sure Steph was upstairs by calling her.

"Yo." She yawned into the phone.

"You sound tired. Morelli is on his way over to discuss a case with me, I'll be late for dinner. You can start without me."

"I'll wait to eat with you, I'm exhausted. It sometimes hits me out of no where. I'll call Ella to let her know. I'm going to nap."

I alerted the front desk to Morelli's visit and had him put in the main conference room on the first floor. I saw on my computer he entered the building so I took the stairs down.

I sat across from him at the large table and turned off the cameras.

"Glad you made the time." Sarcastic prick.

"I'm a busy man."

"In September I left for an undercover assignment in Philly. When it was over I heard some Feds talk about a few cases of women that had disappeared and later found dead. The girls didn't have a lot of family or friends so they were not reported missing right away. The women came from all over, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Florida, Ohio, New York and now New Jersey. The body found in New Jersey was a week ago in Princeton. I didn't realize it was the same case until I was asked to be on the task force by the Governor. When I first heard about the case in Philly the women all looked different, I didn't realize I saw before pictures and not the after. The killer changed each woman's appearance with hair dye and makeup.

When the police entered the data on the recent victim it alerted the Feds. When I saw pictures of the woman from Princeton she resembled Steph but I thought it was a coincidence. When I met with the task force and saw the after pictures of each woman I realized it may involve her.

The women shared nothing in common. All different locations, appearances, careers, salaries but they were transformed to look like her. When I mentioned it, the Fed's started to look at Steph's background. They may come and question her.

The products used on the women hair dye, makeup, clothes are all generic and widely sold across the country. The first victim was found the same month Steph became a bounty hunter. My theory is from all the press she received for solving my case when I was FTA. The papers never picked up on these women having the same killer so it wasn't highly publicized and the Governor doesn't want to scare anyone. None of the women are a perfect match to Steph but look for yourself."

I looked at every picture of the eight women and read every report. All eight women were killed in different ways, different cities, different states. I didn't see a pattern except for how they looked when they were found.

"I don't see a progression anger. He wanted them found almost perfect. The women don't have any marks on their wrists or ankles. No self defense wounds, possibly drugged."

"Nothing found in the toxicology report. Steph's a danger magnet. I'm betting she has a fan somewhere who is living out a fantasy and eventually she could become his target. These women could all be practice for her."

Damn. Two days home and she is in danger and did absolutely nothing wrong to deserve it. I don't know how these things keep happening to her.

"What's your plan? I'm on the case now. I don't want her involved or to even know. She will need 24/7 bodyguard and I can ask her to live with me again but she may not go."

"I'll handle her safety and speak to her."

"You tell her and she will go looking for this guy. She is reckless and has no regard for her own safety. I don't want her in a ongoing police investigation. She is impulsive and one day is going to get herself killed. The only reason I told you is so you could assign her someone." That was the old Stephanie. I think Babe still has impulsive tendencies due to insecurities but she wouldn't run off anymore without back up.

"I'm not lying to her. She needs to be on guard. By keeping her in the dark it puts her in more danger." He had his cop face on and looked into my eyes.

"Are you sleeping with her?" I gave him an impassive look back.

"What do you care. You have a new woman."

"I love her. I just... I wanted her to take time and figure out what she wanted. We will eventually get back together we always do." He turned on his heel and walked out the door with his cop face firmly in place. Steph was right he would take the news hard. The girlfriend was a front to pass time for him. I could see now why she was avoiding him. Personally I would just rip the band aid off but if it was me in his position and I found out Babe was having his baby I'd be destroyed. I took the file with me upstairs and alerted Ella to have dinner ready in 45 minutes. I called Tank to the conference room on the fifth floor and called in her bodyguards for the upcoming weeks to sit in on the meeting.

I placed all the pictures on the board and had all the papers photocopied for packets for each man. Everyone entered the room and took a seat. I sat down and passed around the files.

"In front of you is a packet of information regarding a possible threat to Stephanie. Her security will maintain at the current level with one bodyguard on her person and a second following her GPS in a car discreetly near by her location but I want every man to be extra vigilant especially in her condition. Each of you should review the evidence and document your findings. Every woman that has been killed has been matched to her before and after picture on the board behind me.

We will not be actively hunting him unless direct contact is made. I want inspections of all mail and packages before she touches them and any one approaching needs to be checked for weapons. Any client's she takes on need a background check and will not be left alone with her. Read over the packet and we will reconvene in two hours. Dismissed."

I took my file upstairs and went to wake up Babe. I really didn't want to tell her but she needed to know and would want to get involved in someway. If she does then I'm adding men to her detail.

Ella left our dishes on the counter and I found her resting peacefully holding my pillow. I kissed her awake and all I wanted to do was bury myself deep inside of her.

"Babe I need you to wake up. You need to eat and we need to talk about a case." I could see how exhausted she was so I offered to eat with her on the couch. I made sure she ate first then explained the case but didn't show her any pictures. I explained how her security wouldn't increase as long as she didn't physically look for him but she wanted to be involved in the meeting I was reconvening tonight.

I saw it as two birds with one stone. I would get her thoughts on the case and see her interact first hand with her bodyguards, possibly finding someone to make more permanent on her detail to become her partner.

"I missed the curls." I played with her hair while Babe was reading over the files. She started making notes in the margins.

"Me too, I was lucky to get an appointment. I wanted to tell you I purchased Christmas presents and hid them in some empty suitcases. I'd prefer you didn't peak."

"I don't need anything, save your money."

"It's Christmas Carlos so stop. Do you want me to do any shopping for your family or Julie?"

"No Ella handles it. I just give everyone in my family cash and Julie gets money and a gift. Ella is getting her a tablet with accessories. Tank gets a new upgraded SUV or truck every year and Ella and Louis get an all expense paid vacation anywhere in the world. Last year it was a cruise. Rangeman will also give company wide bonuses to employees."

"So Ella's buying my Christmas gift from you too?" I was thinking about saying yes but I saw her glare.

"No." That made her smile. I was going to have Ella update her wardrobe and get her some Jewelry but I guess I can have her pick things for me and I'll personally sign off. I wanted to buy her a car but I knew she would fight me on it, so when she buys herself a new one I'm going to steal the keys and have Al make all of the modifications to make it as safe as mine.

"You don't have to go downstairs. I can see the exhaustion all over your face."

"I'm fine. I want to be involved, let me just change and wash my face."

SPOV

I wanted to be comfortable but professional so I grabbed a knit sweater and some nicer yoga pants with some black boots. It was all black so I would fit in. I felt frustrated that this could all be my fault. We have only been home two days and now I some how got myself in this mess. Ranger told me it wasn't my fault and how if I wasn't the target someone else would have been, regardless people would have died. At least with my involvement I could help get justice for those women.

Ranger also explained my security wouldn't increase unless I actively tracked the killer. I appreciated him not giving me orders or telling me what to do like Morelli but I'm not stupid enough to go looking for trouble in my condition. I saw this as a true test for my new investigation business. This was my first case and I have hired myself as a client. I didn't wear my jacket but per Ranger's request I did keep on my leather shoulder holster and gun. Even inside Rangeman Ranger felt I needed a weapon at all times except in the penthouse. I was too tired to argue or even put a jacket over it.

As soon as I entered the room I saw the men sitting around the table with two open seats. One for me and Ranger. I placed my file down and went to look at the pictures. I'm glad I ate light although the women looked like they were sleeping and not gruesome in anyway. I took a few moments for each picture and Ranger waited to start the meeting until I sat down.

"First woman Regina Patterson Report." I opened to her page in front of me. Manny started to speak when Ranger gave him a nod. "Three years ago she was Twenty eight years old, came from a broken home in Ohio, small town girl with blond hair and green eyes." She was shorter then me and had a larger chest but we had a similar figure. "She was a receptionist at an animal shelter. She only worked part time so her boss reported her not showing up to the police after two weeks.

She lived alone in a small apartment, no witnesses, no struggle, no cameras in the area, police don't know where or how she was taken. Her body was found ten miles away three weeks later in a field by a farmer. She was identified by her dental and fingerprints because she looked different then her missing picture. All items on her body were generic sold across the country and the contact lenses in her eyes, turning her green eyes to blue can easily be purchased online. Blue eyes are the most popular color for purchase. No DNA or fingerprints, time of death was ruled the night before by loss of oxygen. No marks on the body. Sheriff ruled it suspicious and it become a cold case with no suspects. Sheriff's department talked to neighbors, family, area residents, nothing came of it and she had no known enemies."

"Observations" Ranger said.

Zero spoke first. "The case was handled by a Sheriff's department with a lack of resources. Evidence deteriorated over time and not every test was run, just the basic ones. By the time the FBI discovered she was the first victim and exhumed her body they didn't find any further evidence. The town was interrogated by the FBI a year ago again about the case and memories have faded. However, she was the first victim and it says a lot about our killer. He is a planner, knows how to blend in, possibly from around that area and maybe knew the first victim in some way. My guess is he saw Miss Plum from the papers or news coverage developed a fascination, possibly researched Miss Plum and saw something in this girl that made him think of her causing a trigger."

Other men spoke up with various observations ranging from mental illness as a cause to a repeat offender. They noted the lack of marks on her body and didn't think aggression was a trigger. I remember the coverage of my first case well, I had killed Jimmy Alpha. He was the manager of a well known boxer and I was a nobody who cleared a Vice cop, solved several murders and ended a drug distribution ring with no experience. The papers went crazy over trying to interview me. But I kept to myself dealing with my own issues of having killed someone in defense and trying to stay afloat from my debt piling up around me. I managed to pay a lot of it off thanks to Morelli's bond but it was a crazy time.

"Did anyone check and see who picked up the Trenton Gazette's story? Where was it reprinted? That might lead you to Ohio." No one answered. "According to the time line he had to read it within the first week, because two weeks later Regina was taken. He had to have the time to plan, so depending on the market it ran in, it may narrow the search. Ohio isn't close as Philly or New York. Was the story printed in Regina's hometown paper or a surrounding town in the area?"

Everyone in the room look dumbfounded but no one responded. Ranger's lip twitched into an almost smile. He wrote it on the board in the middle for facts need to be researched.

"Second woman Cal."

"Amber Lynn Tabernacle, originally from North Carolina moved to the Lower West Side of New York City. Parents had a nasty divorce over infidelity and she wasn't close to either. Has a sister from her father's new wife and worked for a small publishing house as a small time editor of mysteries. She worked from home a lot and was reported missing after one week because she did not return emails, calls or submit work. Her boss reported it to police and stated, she was a hard worker, independent, kept to herself and didn't mix business with pleasure.

She had a small office but didn't use it often because it was a start up company. Her body was found one month later near a river. Six months after the first victim. Reports stated she passed away the night before from unknown causes possibly an allergy. No other marks on her body, she was not identified right away as the missing girl due to her change in appearance but eventually matched from fingerprints. New York has a high crime rate so her case fell into the cracks.

No DNA, no malnutrition or finger prints. She did not wear contacts because her eyes were naturally blue." I looked at the woman in the picture. She was a natural red head with a little wave to her hair. She was taller then me by three inches and a lot thinner. Her complexion was Mediterranean. I kept writing notes on everyone's observations and my own. We were only two victim's in and I felt like I really needed a break. Ranger picked up on my body language and had us pause to take a short break.


	25. Chapter 25

SPOV

I left the conference room and took a bathroom break. Since Rangeman is mostly a male workforce the bathroom's are mostly for males. Ella uses her apartment and I used Ranger's apartment when I worked here. I was too tired to go all the way upstairs and really lazy so I knocked really loud a couple of times then entered with my eyes covered. No one inside perfect. I took care of business then went to the break room. All of the men were grabbing drinks and snacks. Ranger had a big plate of oranges peeled and nuts on a large plate with bottles of water and juice under his arm. I had a feeling it was for me.

"You're dehydrated and you need a boost in energy. Vitamin C and protein will help you."

"The things you know boggle my mind." Freaking pregnancy savant. Ranger kissed my forehead and walked me back into the room.

After ten minutes we continued with the rest of the meeting. Some of the men had coffee but the top of their cups were covered so I couldn't smell it. I'm betting that was an order from Ranger. I noticed my bodyguards the past few days didn't wear cologne or use a strong soap. And not one person ever had coffee around me. Ranger even switched to green tea every morning. I looked at Tank and noticed he was using the gift I gave him a few hours ago. I winked at him and gave him a big smile. It made me feel good he liked it.

We reviewed the last notes on the second victim and read the detectives ruled it an accident not murder at first.

"Woody third woman." Ranger said.

"Cristina Fox. Went by Crystal Fox, an escort for Masquerade Escort Services. Lived in Brooklyn, New York. Reported missing one month later by her landlord. Masquerade Escort Services didn't report her missing due to a high turn over rate of their employees. Twenty-six years old, police investigated and discovered the day she was taken by the post mark on her mail. They also found her on camera earlier in the day she went missing at a coffee shop she frequented.

According to clients and staff she never mixed business with pleasure. She worked her way up from $600 a night to $1500 but would never provided any sexual services. Clients liked her because she was well versed, beautiful and knew when to speak but felt she was frigid when they would offer her more money for more of her. Her boss called her professional, timely and well versed for the social parties on politics and economics. She had a degree in Psychology from USC.

According to her fiances, her career was paying off her student loans due to her hardship from growing up in the foster care system. Her parents abandoned her at age 13 at a firehouse in South Carolina and then ended up in prison later on drug charges. She received a partial scholarship for college but it still added up. Masquerade Services stated to police they frown on girls giving out anything extra to their clients other then attending functions. But Vice has evidence of the company taking a cut of profits under the table from the girls. Her daily rate was $1500 and she was used several times a week by different clients for parties.

"$1500 a day for no sex? Where was that career option from my guidance counselor?" The whole table started laughing and Ranger looked amused.

Ranger whispered to me "Babe we've discussed you don't want to diversify in that way before. Remember?" He gave my hand a little squeeze under the table. Yeah I did remember. It was the first time I had asked Ranger for work. He gave me odd jobs that turned into a disaster. His Porsche Boxster was even destroyed by a garbage truck. It was not a great time for me.

"Proceed." I must be more tired then I thought. I stuffed my face with some more oranges.

"Police investigated and Crystal never claimed to have any problems with clients. No enemies and she kept to herself while looking for a job in her chosen field. However without a higher degree her options were limited. It seems she was in the process of applying to graduate schools. She was found four months later in the woods. Hair changed, makeup, blue contact lenses, high heels and in a tight dress. She was identified by her fingerprints. Medical examiner's cause of death stated hypothermia. Case was ruled suspicious then became cold. No marks, toxicology was clean."

I looked at her picture. She was stunning, long brown hair, brown eyes, looked eastern European. Large chest, heart shaped ass and was my height. She also had a tattoo on her lower back, angel wings. She fought so hard to make her life better and ended up dead. I felt my heart hurt for her.

"The killer kept her longer then the rest, five months. The killer never kills any of the women in a way that would directly point to murder. He likes to leave them almost perfect too to be found. Three victim's in his first year."

"Observations" Ranger said. Woody spoke up.

"Ohio then New York. He must have a place somewhere that he can abduct them then keep them. They were all well fed, clean but he must have a trigger that sets him off to get rid of them. He doesn't want a lot of press so they die under mysterious circumstances. The more gruesome a death the more attention to his movements. He doesn't want to be caught like other killers. My theory is he transports them by car to his safe location. It wouldn't be in a busy area and has a well paying job that allows him to travel occasionally but not long enough that he couldn't take care of his prisoner."

I got up out of my seat and started walking on my side of the room back and forth eating my almonds out of my hand.

"I saw this thing once on TV a year ago. I think it was a documentary, it could have been a _Lifetime Movie... A_nyway, serial killer's in the seventies chose Volkswagen's to drive. I think it was the Beetle. Some government agency started to profile cars criminals would most likely purchase. I remember the show talking about how disorganized killer's like to purchase a minivan, while planners tend towards a sedan that looks similar to a Police cruiser's colors. Blue and white.

Colors of the cars we purchase are suppose to tell a lot about your personality. Black for instance" I look right at Ranger for this, "means ambition. Green is conservative, white organized, red creative, blue responsible, silver means your happier in your life. However if the criminal is anything like me they buy whatever is cheap that runs. It's not an exact science but it is based on personality and your financial status." I ate another almond from my hand while still pacing.

"Almonds...you know the smell of almonds means you could be drinking poison...wait that was the _Lifetime Movie! _The car thing was definitely the documentary. So my theory is based on Woody's observation that the killer could be driving a sedan that is white or blue." Ranger wrote it on the board.

Tank spoke up. "Steph's right. I just looked it up on my computer about the almonds and the car psychology." I gave Tank a big smile."You know a lot of unusual things."

"I know. It's scary in my head." I shrugged "I buy a car so often it comes into my mind sometimes. I specifically don't buy Volkswagen's for that reason. I find too many dead bodies as it is, I don't want to be accused of causing them to die based on science. And the almond thing was because I like cookies a lot. I thought Grandma Bella was trying to poison me once because she baked cookies that smelled like almonds but didn't have any pieces in them. I made Morelli eat a few before I'd touch them." Woody and Cal gave me a big smile. Ranger was giving me his thinking about smiling face.

Woody spoke up "Well aren't you just the shake and the bake." Hmm shake and bake chicken. I could go for a Cluck in the Bucket sandwich now. Damn. I sat down and ate more oranges.

"Fourth Woman Bones."

"Jacquelyn Bridges, 34, Vermont resident. She was a factory worker at a maple syrup company. She lived alone but was engaged to Jerald Bridges who was in Africa working as a Doctor for several months. The factory was closed for two weeks due to poor weather and Jacquelyn didn't return to work afterwards. After three days she was reported missing by her best friend that also works with her. Jacquelyn was found two miles from the factory under a tree five months later. Same method of operation however she didn't need the hair dye. Her hair and eyes are naturally brown and blue already."

She looked the most similar to me except she was a lot shorter and more Italian.

"Cause of death was stated as an unknown toxin. Her fiance returned back for a further evaluation of her body and sent her to his colleagues for examination. She was suspected of dying from a snake venom administered by a needle under her toe nail."

I shivered. I had a flash back of letting those snakes loose in my apartment from Abruzzi.

"The fiance made a big deal to the local police about foul play and got in touch with the Fed's. A month later they started linking the cases to realize it was the same killer. Individually the women didn't raise any flags but together they created a pattern."

"Agent Rex Walker took the case with his partner Royce McWilliams. Due to the lack of resources and budget cuts they worked the case alone until the sixth victim then they received reinforcements. New Jersey is the only state to put together a task force at this point. My theory is if NJ police are involved in the apprehension it will boost donors for his reelection campaign. The Fed's call this killer The Blue Eyed Slayer."

I rolled my eyes. "How original. I see they hired the bright one's on this case."

"Fifth Woman Tank."

"Winifred Grey, 36, divorced, no children, from Miami, Florida. She was a blogger for different publications, owned a cat and lived in a second floor walk up. Landlord discovered a smell coming from the apartment that lead him to investigate. It was a mixture of the cat's litter box that hadn't been changed for two weeks and food molding. Landlord stated her leaving her cat and disappearing was unlike her. The owner took the cat and called police. Winifred was found on the beach two months later, 20 miles from her home. Same method."

Winifred has some Latin features with brown hair that was shorter then mine but it was still curled. Her eyes were green originally and she was a knock out. A lot prettier then me. She was in amazing shape that showed she spent a lot of time in a gym. "Cause of death was poison. Antifreeze."

"She drank that one willingly I bet." Everyone turned to me again.

"She had no marks on her body, he didn't force it down her throat. In "_The Sixth Sense," _they all looked at me confused. "It's a movie, seriously does no one in here watch TV or Netflix?" I sighed.

"Anyway a character died that way. She said it tasted funny but she was still able to drink it. When your held captive you drink and eat when you can so you survive. You don't think about poison unless you have been poisoned before, then you get a little paranoid about tastes. She probably drank it willingly because day after day the food was normal. She didn't think he would kill her that way." I was paranoid myself about tastes now. I still don't look at mash potatoes the same way. I mostly only eat where no one knows me or where I know the owners to make sure I don't get poisoned again. I have never been so sick in my life and embarrassed. Ranger's Porsche smelled like little hot dogs and puke. I had to clean his gun with a vegetable brush to get rid of the smell.

"Sixth Woman Slick."

"Renee Griffin, 24, a speech therapist. Owned her own business, single, owned her own home in Tampa, Florida. She was taken three weeks after the last victim but wasn't discovered until a neighbor noticed the mail pilled up. She alerted the police. No sign of struggle. Victim was reported missing five days later and found two months later near a local college in the woods. Same method of operation."

She was heavier then me by a good twenty five pounds but had naturally curly hair and brown eyes. She didn't fit the mold of the other women. Her after picture looked the least like me out of all of them. I found that strange so far.

"Cause of death was fluid in her lungs. It was fresh water not salt, possibly caused from drowning. She doesn't fit the mold of the other victims. She was the last woman killed in the second year."

Ranger spoke next. "Seventh woman Maggie Austin, 30 from Pennsylvania. She was an art restorer and consultant. She worked from home and would loan herself out to numerous states for work. Single, owned a penthouse in an upscale building with security but it was assumed she was taken on her way home while walking. Reported missing after 48 hours when she didn't show up for her job the next day. She was found seven months later in an open field. Cause of death drug overdose from sleeping pills. Same method of operation from the killer."

"This woman was taller then me with black hair and blue eyes. He would have had to bleach her hair first then color it. It would take a lot of time. Her hair is perfectly colored. He changes their looks early on, not before killing them. Look. No streaks or fading. Even the first victim had her color perfect. He has colored his hair before or knows how. It looks professional. If it was an at home kit the colors don't always come out how you want unless you bleach the hair first then color it. Otherwise the color just mixes with your natural hair color. All the victims match perfectly in hair color in their after pictures. Did the Fed's narrow down the brand and color? And what is the brand of makeup?"

"Report doesn't say." That's something I need to look into. "I have a call into a contact at the agency to get anything not given to us tonight. We will have it by lunch tomorrow to review."

"Babe do you want to review the last woman?" I nodded.

"Violet Bishop, 36, lived in Princeton, NJ. Divorced, husband ran off with the nanny to Spain to start a new life. Joint custody agreement. Violet had a daughter Emily age ten. For six months straight her husband has had his daughter then switches with Violet to raise her the remaining six months of the year. Her ex husband reported her missing when he couldn't get a hold of her to return his daughter to her. He tried to call for one week then he called the police. Bills were automatically paid online and she didn't have a job but owned a large interest in a... alternate lifestyle club.

She was also a member of that club according to her bank records. Violet started going to this club when she was married to her husband and then went alone after her divorce according to her ex husband. Violet has someone manage the property for her and only takes profits. She purchased shares in the business after her divorce settlement. She married into her money. Before she was married she worked as a flight attendant. The police are unable to talk to the manager of the business called _The Leather Riding Crop, _due to confidentiality that the club gives every member.

The task force is currently working on her cause of death and a warrant for her records at the club but... she looks like a Stepford wife. In my opinion not someone I'd expect to see involved in that type of scene."

Cal spoke up "What is that saying... "_a good girl in the street and a freak in the bed"_. You can never tell with people." He gave me a wink and I turned bright red. I can't believe I agreed to review the last victim. This was not my area of expertise.

Violet had bottle blond hair and a cheerleader look with blue eyes. I could imagine her with an apron baking cookies.

"She was reported missing three weeks after the last victim was found and her body was discovered one week ago. She was a large donor to the Governor's campaign in the past. They could have been friends which would also fuel his need for a task force." I got up and looked at the board. Something felt like it was missing. I started walking in circles around everyone sitting at the table while drinking my orange juice.

"What are you doing little girl?"

"I think better when I move. If the mall was open my juices would be flowing more. Just ignore me." I heard the men discussing the case around the table but I felt something was off, it was annoying me. Just as Ranger was wrapping up the discussion I took a dry erase marker to the opposite side board and started writing the dates and times for each victim for each year.

"Ranger. The Fed's missed someone." Everyone turned to look at me.

"Explain."

"I think Cal or Woody said it before. Three victim's a year is the pattern, he has three a year until this year. He only has two as of right now. It's December, January is just a few weeks away. He needs time to plan to find someone new and then he always keeps her for a least one month most likely much longer. The time line doesn't fit. They missed someone."

Manny spoke up "You could be the last victim. He could be looking to take you and keep you. The other women could have been his test run for you."

"I don't get that feeling. This has to do with me, I believe that. But I don't think I'm his target until after January. I have a strong feeling that I can't explain. And something else I can't put my finger on... I need to mull it over." I went back to reviewing Ranger's board.

"Anyone else have anything to add before we end?" No one commented. "This will be our war room to review and discuss this case. The items in here do not leave. Tomorrow I will have copies of the killer's profile for all of you to keep a look out for while you are guarding Steph based on our observations. Anything suspicious must be reported immediately to myself or Tank." Ranger dismissed the group but I kept looking at the board.

"Let's go to bed Babe. You can work on it tomorrow your dead on your feet." I was really tired. I was leaning against the wall and it was way past my bed time. Ranger picked me up despite my weak protests that I could walk and put me into bed.

I was mumbling sleepily "I need a night shirt. If a fire breaks out and someone comes in to rescue me, I don't want to be saved naked. I'll never hear the end of it." Ranger just chuckled and put me to bed in only my panties.

"I prefer you naked in our bed. I will save you from the fire and dress you. Go to sleep Babe." He kissed my lips and spooned me from behind. I was out like a light.

The next morning Ranger and I were enjoying our breakfast together. I had a weird craving for hot oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins. I have never had that craving before and Ella was happy to provide it.

"What's your plan today Babe?"

"I have to meet with Anderson and Douglas to pick up my new credit cards and checks then sign some papers in twenty minutes. I heard you had Joe Juniak fast track then approve my license to become a Private Investigator for New Jersey. Douglas said Juniak accepted my history as a bounty hunter as my experience waiving the other requirements to qualify me. Thank you." I gave him a deep kiss then heard my personal phone ringing.

"Yo."

"Hey baby girl some Fed's stopped by looking for you with Morelli. They wanted to question you regarding an investigation and I told them you weren't home. They left me a card then said you had to come in today or they would start looking for you themselves."

Grandma gave me the information from his business card and I wrote it down to call later. I warned her not to let any strangers in and be on guard. I was happy she was going to have an alarm system to protect her but I have to face Morelli today. Crap. Ranger read my body language and raised his eyebrow.

"Fed's are looking for me regarding the case and want me to come in. They stopped by Grandma's looking for me. Said I come in willingly or they would hunt me down."

"Call them now and I will go with you. I want to ask some questions." I called Rex Walsh and had a brief conversation to meet before lunch in an interrogation room at the Trenton PD to take my statement.

I rolled my eyes."He seemed like a real winner on the phone."

Ranger kissed me goodbye and I agreed to pick him up 20 minutes before our meeting. I didn't warn them Ranger was coming, I thought that would be a fun surprise since he sounded like a jerk on the phone. I'm sure Morelli would want to talk to me afterwards too. Damn. I'm nervous.

I didn't feel great in my outfit so I went to go change into something to make me feel more confident. I put on my black over the knee boots again with dark blue jeans, a purple v neck shirt with a black biker jacket. I found a pair of sunglasses and kept my hair down and styled. I also needed an extra swipe of mascara for courage today. I grabbed my black purse from the boutique in Greece then ran for the elevator.

Woody was waiting for me at the car with a big smile. "Howdy cow girl. I hear ya have an appointment with Anderson." I liked that he was talking to me today unlike my other bodyguards. I felt more comfortable around him after our interaction last night in the meeting. We had a good flow back and forth of ideas. The only other time I've meet him was when he dropped off a car to me and Ranger but he just gave the Rangeman signature nod then left.

"Where are you from?"

"Texas Miss Plum."

"Please call me Steph. Is your name Woody because of a body part? Or something else?"

"In my early Army days I built a raft with wood and vines. The name stayed but everyone assumes it's sexual. Ladies liked it so I kept it." That made me smile. We fell into a comfortable conversation and laughed about funny southern sayings he sometimes used but didn't notice. I apprenticed that he carried on a conversation with me. We arrived at the office only a minute late.

"Hi Douglas what's new?" We did a little chit chat and he talked about his week with me. He was a really nice guy.

Douglas had me review each document then sign all of my papers for my will and my documents for Black Enterprises and Bombshell Investigations. Then he gave me all of my cards for both accounts and my licenses for Bombshell Investigations. I could finally start seeing clients now.

"Seriously you guys are amazing. You helped me make more decisions in one day then I have my entire life. Thank you."

"It's what you pay us for. Anderson wanted to talk to you about investments today but his daughter is sick. He had to watch her till his mother in law arrived. He wanted me to give you this portfolio. Look everything over, feel free to discuss this with Ranger if you like then Anderson will call you in a week or so to discuss concerns and options." Our meeting took us to just about thirty minutes before I had to be at the Trenton PD. Luckily we were right down the street from Rangeman. Woody and I hung out in the garage chatting till Ranger arrived. Woody ran back up to the control room to wait for me to finish my meeting.

Ranger drove us over in the Porsche Turbo. "It's best to listen and not give too much information until you feel out your interrogator. Use this opportunity to do an interrogation in reverse. Use what you learned in Greece. Read him first. Let them think they are leading but you control the angle and direction.

Look at their methods and body language to pick up weaknesses. My guess is they will do good cop bad cop at some point. Watch your own body language as well. Remain impassive and don't let them anger you. When you lose your cool you lose control of the discussion.

If they offer you food or drinks you always take the waste with you. You never want to leave any traces of DNA or fingerprints if you can help it in front of cops. It's best you touch very little, maybe only the chair and keep your arms crossed or on your lap. You seem nervous, don't be. I don't think they see you as a suspect but this is a live practice for you to interrogate someone without the kidnapping." Ranger gave me a big smile and I rolled my eyes.

"I only kidnapped Ward and he deserved it."

"He did. I'll be with you the whole time. Morelli will be there too I bet. Keep your cool, use eye contact when you speak. Looking down or away makes you look like your hiding something. Only give information they directly ask then reverse it on them. If you struggle I will intervene but this will let me see what you absorbed in Greece and help me work with you in the coming months.

Your alibi for Miami is tight so don't worry if they ask you questions or look for proof. They will find it. Are you talking to Morelli after?"

"I think so. I doubt he will let me go without talking. I just want it somewhere private so it isn't a big show in front of everyone."

"I'll be near by regardless of the location." Ranger parked right near the front door.

"Proud of you Babe." He gave me a light kiss with a little tongue that ended too soon for my liking, then came around to open my door. I liked when Ranger was proud of me it warmed my heart.

"You know this isn't a parking spot right? Your going to get towed."

Ranger gave me a megawatt smile. "Babe." That Babe meant no one would dare move his car.

"Figures, if that was my car I'd get towed within 10 minutes with new damage."

I took a deep breath at the front door and pushed my shoulders back. Ranger slid his hand to my lower back guiding me down the hall to the interrogation room.


	26. Chapter 26

Note: I have been asked if I have a set plan for what will happen, the answer is no, everyday is a surprise even to me. I also had a request to write a second story about Ranger's Apocalypse plans in action. I think one day I will write one when this story is complete, it's mulling itself over in the back of my mind as a fun little side adventure among a few other stories about our favorite couple I would like to write. I'll make a note when that day comes to give those people a heads up.

RPOV

Babe really impressed me with her observations on this case already. She has come a long way since her first investigation of Morelli. My men and I all have military or street backgrounds, we look at situations in those terms. I can't even describe how her mind works. It's out of the box thinking mixed with intuition that makes it interesting yet amusing to watch her work.

Most of my men have never seen her in action on a case, most have only interacted with her in a bodyguard capacity at one time or another. I bet my men thought she was just a woman I occasionally slept with that I would give a desk job too when she needed cash but she proved herself in that room to each and everyone of them.

I felt very proud she was my woman and my protege. We made a great team. I could see us being great parents together too no matter the situation between us. I've been thinking a lot about being a dad lately and I'm nervous. I had Ella buy me every book on pregnancy which has helped but I need control and I get that by planning. I've been dreaming about holding and feeding our babies at night as well which has helped with my nerves.

It still doesn't feel 100% real to me yet but the books told me to expect that until I saw her showing. I look every night at her stomach checking for a bump. I think she is close to getting one. I know she is concerned about her weight but I'm proud of her for eating healthy and doing light work outs. However, the moment she doesn't fit into her clothes she will have a mild melt down. I see her breathe a sigh of relief every morning when she buttons up her pants as it is. I've had Ella researching fashionable pregnancy clothes for me to purchase for Christmas. I hope by purchasing them it will help Babe get use to the idea of her stomach expanding when the time comes. I see how much she loves the clothes from Greece so I told Ella to look for things in those styles no matter the price including sexy lingerie.

I'm also happy we have also fallen into a comfortable routine of working out, having breakfast and eating dinners together. I enjoy coming home to her. I never thought I'd be with a woman I enjoyed spending so much time with. It is still a mind trip. I guess my past concern was about coming home to the wrong woman all these years and hearing her complain about my lifestyle.

I watched Babe interact in our meeting with Manny and Cal her previous bodyguards and could tell neither were a great fit to be her long term bodyguard and partner. Manny and her didn't click or interact with words, body language or eye contact. Cal was slightly better with making a joke with her but still I didn't see a partnership or open line of communication.

Babe bounced most of her ideas off me, Tank and surprisingly Woody. Woody is like Santos in being sociable but I'm concerned that may distract him from fully protecting her. I also think he has a crush on her and I don't need her guard distracted by her looks. Babe still has a few other men to protect her in the coming week but I don't see any of the men in Trenton I hand picked for her working out long term in that room last night. I could tell Tank agreed.

Steph needed someone who would listen to her and respond back. Someone she felt comfortable bouncing off ideas but also watch her back and be professional. I'm checking out the men in Miami when I travel for reviews. I will see if any will be a match for her that are also willing to transfer for a bonus and a raise. I've also noticed a change in the dynamic between her and Tank. They seem to be developing a small friendship. I like knowing he's watching out for her even if it means he needs to kick my ass because I'm being stupid.

When I take breaks from Rangeman business lately, I have started to research and background check the best OB/GYN in the area, narrowing it down to small practice in Hamilton. I've also picked Robert Wood Johnson as the hospital to deliver the babies due to safety, privacy and technology available and have Princeton hospital as our back up. I have made Babe an appointment for the end of the week because she should have had one the day we got back. I know if I don't she will drag her feet.

My concern today is for Steph's blood pressure over Morelli. It is making me on edge so I intend to stay close but give her privacy. I expect Morelli to charge at me as soon as he finishes talking to her. I know she had nerves in the car. Not regarding the case, those questions have become second nature to her. Her nerves are about her meeting with Morelli afterwards and telling him the truth. I understand she wants a professional and friendly relationship but I talked to him yesterday and he is still in denial about him and Steph. I don't think he would get physical with her but I expect a screaming match. If it gets too much I will step in the room and remove her from the situation. Her health is more important then Morelli's rants.

When we arrived at the interrogation room I entered first to get a look at the agents but the room was empty.

SPOV

I entered the room behind Ranger and noticed no one was inside. We were about 8 minutes early so we both grabbed a seat at the table that faced the door so we could look at our interviewers causing them to have their backs to the door. It was more then just having Ranger's back to a wall, it was a power position the interviewer usually took which would deflate the Fed's sails a little. Two minutes passed our expected meeting time two men entered the room. The first looked in his forties, no wedding ring but a faded tan line. Recently separated or divorced. By his weight on his foot he had a gun strapped around his right ankle and a side holster. His dominate hand was right and he wore a wrinkled suit from a department store that has seen much better days. He was clean shaven with his shoulders pressed back and a cocky confidence when he saw me.

No jewelry, about 6'2 and his stride told me he thought he was hot shit. He wasn't a bad looking guy but not the hottest thing in Trenton. He screamed dominance compared to the other man, this must be Rex.

"Agent Rex Walsh my partner Royce McWilliams. We only asked for your presence not your friend's. Sir you are not welcome here, the hall has some seats." Ranger didn't respond to him. He was in his normal position of crossed arms and legs looking bored but highly aware of everyone's movements.

"He is my personal security and partner. If he goes I do as well." I left my face impassive but it was hard since this metal chair was extremely uncomfortable.

Royce McWilliams looked surprised at my response. He was a lot younger then Rex by at least 8-10 years and dressed better in a clean shirt and suit from Macy's. Not married, left handed and also carried two guns. I noticed he checked me out walking in and had to adjust himself discreetly as he closed the door. He had dirty blond hair and mischief in his brown eyes. He knew he was good looking and his confidence showed in how he carried himself to the table.

"Miss Plum your in a police station. You are completely safe. His presence is unnecessary in this case and we would like to keep it confidential as much as possible."

I stood up from my chair and Ranger followed suit, I started walking towards the door and heard Royce say "Stop." I turned on my heel and put my hand on my hip.

"Why? You were late arriving, you put me in an interrogation room like a criminal when I know not 15 feet from here is a plushy conference room task forces usually use to hold meetings. I'm here on my own accord not yours."

I could see Rex's face turning red. He didn't like my position and he didn't like Royce stepping in trying to handle me. That was interesting. I could use that in my reverse questioning.

"Please Miss Plum we need to ask you questions. Your friend can stay to make you more comfortable. Detective Morelli will be present as well in just a moment, he was briefing his chief."

"I understand you know each other as well." Rex asked and read my facial expression, seeing if their were any hard feelings or anger in my face.

"Of course. The Burg is a small world, I know lots of people. But I must warn you I have a lot to do today so I would begin your questions now."

Ranger and I took our seats again. I could see his lips twitching like he wanted to smile. This situation was amusing him. Rex took control again.

"I don't think it would be wise to make demands in your situation. I've researched you, you have quite the file here at the Trenton PD and Agency from the last three years... I noticed your both carrying concealed. You know that is against the law in New Jersey correct?" At that moment Morelli entered the room and grabbed a chair from the back of the room and sat in the middle between me and the Fed's. He checked me out when he walked in and gave me a slight smile before slamming his cop face down.

"It's not illegal if you have a license to carry concealed as we both do." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"May I see it?"

"No. Unless I'm being charged with a crime I will not waste my time." Morelli looked relieved I didn't whip it out. He probably thinks I'm bluffing and Ranger made me something in his basement. Royce gave Rex a look to drop it.

"I see you became a bounty hunter three years ago and are still employed as one. But it doesn't say why?"

"Personal reasons that have no barring on your case. Did you search for a ninth victim or have you been sitting on your hands dealing with your separation from your wife." That hit a nerve with Rex. He started getting red.

"It's eight women not nine. I see your familiar with the case. Why is that? We haven't disclosed anything to the media."

"No but when New Jersey sets up a task force you hear about it. What kind of makeup or brand of hair dye was used?"

"And who disclosed this case to you?"

"It's a small town, people talk. Your a Federal Agent I thought you would be more observant. Have you tracked down the Trenton Gazette's reprinting of the initial article about me?" Morelli looked confused at my reaction to this whole interview. Royce was looking amused while Rex looked like he was counting to ten.

"You know Rex, I like that name. I have a hamster named Rex. I named him after I watched _Jurassic Park_ one night. He likes to eat like a T- Rex. Did you have a hamster growing up?"

Rex looked confused. "No. I don't like animals." I picked up on their routine before they even sat down. Rex was the bad cop and Royce was the good cop. They thought by putting me in this uncomfortable room I would be scared and spill my guts.

"Everyone likes animals in some way whether it's fish, Animal Planet or owning a pet. Did you find the cause of death of Violet?" I gave them a brief moment to respond. When they didn't I continued like Ranger taught me to keep them talking. "I prefer hamster's myself. Low maintenance and great listeners. They are also not picky eaters like other pets.

Royce spoke up "No the results won't be available till tomorrow on Violet. Did you know her or any of the victims?"

"No. I myself enjoy watching Animal Planet. I like the show where the guy thinks he can talk to dogs and Shark Week. Although I'm terrified of sharks. Do you like sharks Royce?" He just nodded.

"Did the report come in yet from the products that were used on Violet's skin? Was it CoverGirl, Maybelline, L'Oreal, Clinque, Mary Kay or even more off brand?" I paused when he was looking at his papers. "I always look for sharks when I am in the water myself, with my luck I can never be too careful."

"It was Covergirl. And I love Shark Week. I look forward to it and record it. I think they are fascinating and misunderstood creatures."

"They are." I gave him a big smile. "Did you know the smallest shark is the Dwarf Lanternshark? Only 6.7 inches long. Mind boggling... What about Violet's hair dye? Was it Garnier, L'Oreal, Revlon, Nice N' Easy or more off brand?" Royce was checking again for me. While Rex looked baffled. "I think it's fascinating that shark's aren't color blind. It's why I never wear yellow in the water, I don't want to look like a fish to them."

Royce was really smiling at me now. "You know a lot of shark facts and the brand was L'Oreal. Do you use those brands?"

"I'm not sure. What was the exact colors used and types?" This was easier then I thought.

Royce pulled out his paper work. "L'Oreal dark golden brown for the dye and different shades of concealer depending on the skin tones, all in the clean liquid line. The blush was the clean glow line, the mascara was the queen collection and the lipstick was from their matte line. The nail polish was all from the outlast line. Do you use those products?"

"No. And I always use waterproof mascara, most women do. Do you have any suspects or recurring names that keep coming up?" Rex cut off my questioning of Royce. He didn't like being out of control.

"After your first case where you apprehended Detective Morelli did any fans approach you? Anyone send you interesting letters or something that stood out to you at that time?"

"It's a small town. Everyone and their cousin wanted to talk to me about it. Papers were chasing me for an interview. I did not comment to anyone about the case. Have you received any access to The Leather Riding Crop yet?"

"No. Are you a member there?" Morelli's eyes bugged out at his question. I knew of several things on his bucket list he wanted me to do and I flat out refused with him.

"No. Although everyone has a right to live how they want too. I'm friends with an ex ho. It doesn't make her a bad person. Who reprinted the Trenton Gazette's article about me?" He ignored my question.

"I see your partner is Lula, has a record for prostitution but became a file clerk for Vincent Plum Bail Bond's Agency and sometimes is a bounty hunter's assistant for you. I see she was promoted while you were away briefly in Miami but then demoted for major property damage.

I also see at the time she was involved in the case she was attacked by a boxer. Doesn't seem like you protected her that well." I felt my blood boiling inside. I wanted to lash out at him but I could feel Ranger next to me changing his sitting position slightly grazing his finger against my thigh trying to refocus me.

"At the time she was an informant and not my partner. She was in a high risk profession and that experience changed her life helping her realize she needed to make changes to better herself. This line of questioning has no barring on your case and I am getting hungry. Your budget is tight enough that you can't provide me lunch and I need something more then the vending machine." Morelli just smirked but had stayed silent throughout this discussion. Rex pulled out pictures of all the women before their looks were changed.

"Do you know any of these women?" I've looked at their pictures last night for hours but I looked one more time to be sure.

"No. Do you have any suspects I could look at and see if I recognize anyone? Any evidence the women shared so I can see if it relates to me?"

"No suspects. And the full backgrounds on each women has already been read by Detective Morelli and he has pointed out similarities since he knows you so well." I didn't like what he was implying. Morelli and I knew each other well but he didn't know everything about me, just like I couldn't know everything about him.

"Why use a second source when you have me in front of you. May I see Morelli's notes on each background of each woman?" Rex pulled out a sheet of paper with the women's name listed and a list of similarities to me underneath them.

"This is his finished findings. It's useless to me. I want to see his copy of the background checks with his notes in the margins and his highlighter marks." I sat back in the chair. "Quickly please my ass is falling asleep." Rex gave Morelli the nod and he left the room.

"While we are waiting I noticed a lot of things about you. You seem to attract trouble. Numerous car fires and vandalism reports. Your apartment gets broken into more then a liquor store. You've killed people or been an accomplice to their deaths and find more dead bodies then anyone I have ever seen." I just stayed silent. He was trying to egg me on again.

"I didn't hear a question Rex. Could I trouble you for a bottle of water I'm parched. It has to be a bottle though, the pipes in this building are old and it makes the water taste funny." I crinkled my nose at him. Rex was annoyed. He gave Royce a nod to go get me one. I waited for the door to close.

"You don't like me I can tell. I don't care. You've been on this case a long time without any results. After I review Morelli's report I'm leaving, so you can play games but I will leave this room when my stomach grumbles. Either continue wasting my time or ask me what you dragged me here for." I purposely sent Royce out of the room so I could tell him that. If I had kept Royce in the room during this discussion. Rex would have been angry I spoke to him that way in front of his partner and possibly tried to keep me longer out of spite.

"Do you know who this could be? Have you received any fan mail, strange letters, see anyone stalking you?"

"No to all. As you know I have been away for many months."

Royce returned with my bottle of water with Morelli in tow. I thanked him politely. Burg manners after all.

I took a few long sips of my water and it was chilled. Perfect. I started looking through Morelli's notes on the first victim. I wanted to convey to Ranger what I was seeing without saying anything directly to Rex.

"The first victim Regina Patterson was a small town girl catholic girl, who liked animals, she had a ferret as a pet and liked to clearance shop. She lived paycheck to paycheck and had an on again off again boyfriend." We didn't have a similar upbringing, schooling or purchase history. I noticed the backgrounds were not that extensive either just what anyone could find. I would have to run every girl through the Rangeman programs that showed everything including medical records. I went to look at the second victim.

"Amber Tabernacle had one sister, independent and hardworking, Mediterranean with blue eyes." I looked at Royce. "She died of an allergy but I don't see one in her record. What was it?"

"Peanut butter." That perked up my ears. I loved Peanut butter.

"Her father had a mild allergy but they never had any nut products in there home so she probably never ate any. Maybe she was never tested or developed an allergy over time." Weird. I need to check her records myself. If you knew your father had an allergy you would assume you might too. Ranger perked up a little too at Royce's words. I notice him change his position again in the chair. Ranger knew what I was doing. After I read the report I passed it to him to read.

"Cristina Fox loved shoes and shopping, didn't sleep around, loved coffee and donuts and received a partial scholarship for college. Looks European." I guess I had the most in common with her so far. I passed it on to Ranger.

"Jacquelyn Bridges 34, same age as me now, loved maple syrup on pancakes. I think we all do." Everyone except Ranger that is. I smiled a little. "She has been engaged twice." Technically so have I. Dickie and Morelli. "She was a natural brunette with blue eyes and had a known fear of spiders, snakes, mold and loved watching movies."

"Winifred Grey divorced with no children, had a pet a cat and frequented the bakery near her home a lot but worked out just as much to keep her figure." Every woman so far had something in common with me but none of them had anything in common with each other.

"Renee Griffin liked food, eating out and didn't cook. She had a few friends and a Netflix account, college degree and wore higher end makeup. She had her hair cut regularly and liked to go to the mall." She was the one that bothered me the most. She was a lot heavier then me and looked the least like me in her after picture. Her death was also the most painful. She knew she was going to die from drowning as soon as she became trapped. Their were no marks on her body, she was not held under water by anyone just trapped. When I passed the file to Ranger I looked at him deep in his eyes to convey how I was feeling. He gave me a slight nod in return.

"Maggie Austin blue eyes." She was the least like me. Successful, rich, lived in a secure building, paid bills early, no debt, a health nut, high end shopping, very put together. She was more like Ranger then me although he doesn't do online dating and she did.

Rex spoke up before I got to the last victim. "How is it you can afford a bodyguard? I've looked at your finances and credit report. You live paycheck to paycheck, sometimes pay you bills late and your an insurance liability. Your only income has been from contract work you have done in the past for Rangeman and from your captures." That was true. But Ranger and I have always had a friendship. Plus Ranger does as he pleases. He would put a bodyguard on me despite any protest I had. I looked down to read about the last victim.

"You said it yourself. I do contract work for Rangeman. Your a Federal agent follow the bread crumbs." I heard Royce snort trying to cover it up with a cough. Morelli was also trying to keep a straight face from what I could see out of the corner of my eye. I noticed him checking out my body during this whole interview. I didn't look at him often though, I was trying not get nervous about our talk afterwards and be distracted by him. I have a feeling Rex wanted him in this meeting and purposely made sure he was late to throw me off center.

"Violet Bishop New Jersey resident, husband had fidelity issues." Before she married she was like me paycheck to paycheck, paid bills late then met her husband and everything became high end and expensive quickly. She was the richest woman out of all of the victim's.

"Where is the ninth victim?" I looked at Royce for the question. He was the one giving me the most information so far. I saw something pass over his eyes and then it was gone. Rex spoke up.

"Their is no ninth victim." When he said the words I saw he believed them. Royce was looking down though at his paperwork.

"Don't pee on my leg then tell me it's raining." I stopped myself for a second. Where did that saying even come from? I have never said those words in my entire life... Woody. I started to smile. It was one of his funny sayings he mentioned this morning. I saw Ranger's lips twitch. He recognized the source too. I turned to Royce.

"You agree with me don't you boy scout?" I saw in his eyes he did but he gave a sideways look at Rex and kept his mouth shut. Morelli seemed very interested all of a sudden. I guess they didn't clue him in to their private discussions.

"What do you know Cupcake?" I can't believe he just used his pet name for me in a professional setting! I was pissed. And Rex took pleasure from the name and my annoyance.

"It's Stephanie Detective Morelli or Steph." I gave him a Burg glare and he realized now I was pissed. Ranger lightly touched the side of my thigh under the table. I looked in his eyes and could tell he was reigning me in to keep my cool.

"I've thought about it, looked at the backgrounds. I believe the eighth victim is the ninth. That the eighth woman hasn't been discovered yet but she was a New Jersey resident." Royce looked to be agreeing with me. I saw his posture and eyes change but Rex was not having it. He tried to cut me off but Morelli stepped in and told him to let me talk.

"Steph what do you see?"

"He has a pattern from the victims locations. In the order of the victims it was Ohio, NYC, NYC in the first year. Year two Vermont, Florida, Florida. Year three Pennsylvania then New Jersey. It's December Morelli you do the math." I could see Morelli realizing my logic, he hasn't been on this case that long and I am sure he has a few other cases going on at the same time so I cut him some slack. Rex had no excuse. I could see Royce had a big smile on his face. I guess he noticed the pattern too.

Morelli spoke up "It's only December you could be the last victim and then he may want to keep you long term."

"Both theories are plausible but I have a gut feeling. We've worked cases together before you usually follow my gut."

He turned to Rex and Royce. "She does have uncanny luck. I think it would be smart to at least check in New Jersey for a victim or a missing woman in the killer's preferred age range during the timing of the last two victims. I'll do it myself." Something just came to me. I turned to Ranger and looked in his eyes. He gave me a nod to talk.

"You might not find a body... If she was difficult or put up a fight he wouldn't leave her to be found. The women were all left to be found perfect. He probably screwed up with her and couldn't leave her to be found. That's my theory." I could see Royce agreeing with me and Morelli taking notes about what I was saying.

"We can't investigate without evidence of a body Miss Plum."

"Well Rex, that's why they pay you the big bucks." I turned to Royce. "Anything else you want to say to me or Detective Morelli to put us all on the same page?" He smiled and shook his head no. I could tell he didn't have anything left to tell me and was being truthful.

"Ok well I'm starving." I stood up with Ranger.

Royce spoke up "If I have further questions how can I reach you?" I took out two business cards from my purse. I handed one to each of them. Joe knew my number already, no need to waste a card.

Rex spoke up "Bombshell Investigations? I thought you were a bounty hunter?"

"I was until recently. I have started my own investigation business to broaden my background." I gave him a big smile. Royce and Rex gave me their cards and Rex left the room abruptly. Royce stayed behind to talk a moment.

"I find you fascinating as well as beautiful. We should have dinner and compare notes. I wrote my personal number on the back." He gave me a smile and I rolled my eyes and sighed. Ranger and Joe were not pleased. We were the only people left in the room with Morelli now. I made my way to the door and felt Joe stop me by placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Can we talk Cupcake?" I looked at Ranger for strength and he nodded then left the room.

"Sure Joe but not here, we don't need witnesses." I nodded to the two way glass. We walked over to the empty conference room and sat down at the table together. We passed Ranger in the hall and he was pretending to play on his phone while keeping me in the corner of his eye.

"What the hell was that in there? I've seen you questioned before, it was like we were interviewing Ranger more then you. Hell at times I thought it was Ranger except you did a few eye rolls... I think your spending too much time together. The things he teaches you are dangerous, you don't want to be mixed up in this case. You're the target Cupcake, you will get yourself killed..." He rubbed his eyes with his hand. "I love you too much to see that happen. Please let the police handle this one."

He moved his chair closer to me and then tried to look down my shirt with his finger to see my bra. "I like this outfit a lot and that bra makes your chest look amazing." I slapped his hand away.

"You have a girlfriend, Ella remember? Your practically living together. She spends time with your family in church and has moved here for you. You can't say you love me and you can't tell me what to do Joe! We broke up months ago."

"Yeah but I can see you have goals now just like we talked about. You quit being a bounty hunter at least. Being an investigator isn't much better but at least it is a little safer and you can pick your own cases. You need to watch yourself though, you need licenses and I know you don't have a conceal carry permit.

Don't push Rex, he doesn't like you and would be thrilled to arrest you. And if Ranger gave you something it's probably a fake. A very good fake. I'm still shocked your carrying a gun. I'm happy but terrified at the same time that you have it." I rolled my eyes at him. Trying to count to ten so I wouldn't yell at him.

"Joe things have changed... I do legally have a concealed carry permit not from Ranger but from the State of New Jersey. I also have a legal business with real licenses for my business and to be an investigator. Juniak approved it himself if you don't believe me." He looked a little angry.

"Please don't tell me Ranger loaned you money or pulled some favors for you! He does everything for a price, he isn't the kind of man you want to be in debt too Cupcake!"

"You need to stop calling me that Joe. You have a girlfriend and you are disrespecting her and your relationship by calling me that and telling me you love me. Your practically cheating on her right now! I'm not even going to ask if you were doing the same thing behind my back because I'd like us to be friends one day!" I took a few deep breaths. "I enjoy watching hockey together and eating pizza with you but I need us to at least be able to work together in a professional capacity."

He tried to give me his bedroom eyes. He really was handsome when he didn't speak. "I can come over tonight and bring some pizza and we can hang out." I actually felt sorry for Ella and disgusted. Is this what he did with Terri when I wasn't around?

"No Joe. No more sex, only friendship... I need to tell you something and it's going to be hard... when we broke up I was upset and I guess in the back of my head I saw it as another break but just longer at first. Then I spent time away from New Jersey and really worked on myself. I tried new things, saw new places."

"In Miami?" He looked confused.

"Yeah, anyway I realized we are great friends. You have become a better man then you once were and at the time we had sexual chemistry, similar hobbies and the same upbringing but we can't stand to live together. We couldn't commit to each other and the truth is if we both really wanted to be in a commitment we could have. I know you want the Burg life but I've realized I don't and never will. I don't say that to hurt you, I just want you to know how I feel. Ella seems like a perfect person for you, safe job, she cooks and cleans. Your family loves her. You want to settle down, settle down with her if you love her. If you don't, stop wasting her time because you will end up hurting her more and become like every other Morelli in your family."

He sighed and held my hand. "I've only seen myself marrying one woman in my entire life, you, you have been my longest relationship. I know you are the one and I think you just need more time to figure out that I am the one for you too. I'm willing to give you the time because I love you."

I sighed he really wasn't getting it. "I love you too as a friend and only a friend. Like you, I have moved on too. I'm really happy. I don't feel any pressure to change or get married..."

Morelli started getting red and looked like he was counting. "It's Ranger isn't it? You said it yourself he doesn't do relationships, he will use you then throw you away if he doesn't get you killed first or mixed up in some mess."

"Sit and calm down or I'm leaving! You are an adult and so am I. For once we are going to act like it and have an adult conversation instead of be kids screaming at each other and storming out. You want answers sit down." Joe sat down.

"Ranger and I are in a relationship. We are committed to each other. It is new for both of us, so we are taking it one day at a time but I'm also pregnant with his babies." That set him off. Their was a cup holder of pens and pencils that was on the table that he swiped away and pushed some papers off the table. He started speaking in Italian and mumbling while he paced. I gave him sometime to calm down.

He looked so sad. "How? When? Is he going to marry you?"

"I'm between 11-12 weeks and we are not planning to get married at this time."

"So your dating because of the baby. Did you forget your shot and the condom broke?" I fidgeted. Damn.

"No I was on the shot, it failed and we started dating before we found out." Now he looked very red and I could see him counting in his head and trying to calm himself down by looking at the floor.

"You didn't use a condom? You never once let me without a condom! Even in the moment we have stopped and you have made me go out to the store and get some! Was this a regular thing him not using protection? Or was it only me?" He said it in an aggressive way with also hurt in his eyes.

"It was in the moment. And I wasn't sure if you were with other women at times in our on and off stage. I also didn't plan on getting pregnant." His eyes softened.

"And you don't think Ranger was with other women while being with you? You should be pregnant with my baby, you were my girlfriend for three years!" He paused briefly and took some breaths. "We can raise them together. You don't have to be with Ranger just because he's the father. I can marry you and you can stay at home with them in my house. I will take care of you and them, I will raise them as my own. I love you enough to do that. Ranger isn't going to be a good father we both know that. He is dangerous, psychos are constantly coming out of the woodwork for him. Think Cupcake he already abandoned one kid. I can give you love and stability." He tried to embrace me but I pushed him away. I was so angry he said those things about Ranger. All I could see was red.

"I love him! Neither of us know how to be good parents we will learn together! And even if he did abandon me I would never marry you and stay at home! Why can't you see that! I am not Burg material! And he didn't abandon Julie he supports her you jackass!" I was done. I grabbed my purse and tried to walk away and felt him grab my arm tight from behind. I must have whimpered because Ranger appeared next to me, removing Morelli's hand then pushing me behind him.

Joe got right in Ranger's face. "We are not done here yet. You need to leave."

"The conversation ended when she yelled and you grabbed her. Go cool down."

"I would never hurt her and you know it!" He tried to punch Ranger but Ranger was expecting it and moved out of the way returning a punch to Joe's stomach.

"Stop!" I moved in between them. "This is not a fight! Joe and I talked, it's over now. Joe you need to cool it! Be with Ella. I know your hurt but this isn't the way to be my friend again." I pushed Ranger towards the door while keeping my eye on Joe and staying in the middle of them. I got us into the hallway and quickly walked us out.

"Did you have to hit him?"

"He grabbed you Babe and tried to punch me. I was defending myself and you. He is lucky I only got him once." I knew that was true. I saw him fight Tank, if he wanted to inflict real pain he could have.

We walked back to the car and drove to Rangeman in silence. I kept replaying the meeting in my mind and the after talk with Joe.

"That could have went better but it wasn't as bad as I imagined." Ranger took off my jacket and raised the sleeve of my shirt to look at my arm. He saw a bruise forming. He had a dark look come across his face.

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt and I am really hungry. I need food and a nap." I felt emotionally exhausted and my back was killing me from the damn metal chair.

Ranger raised a finger under my chin to kiss my lips. "I heard him yelling at you and you defending me. I made sure no one was spying. But he will probably run his mouth off that we're together and your pregnant. I need you to be extra careful. He is hurt and angry right now." I took out my phone and sent a text to Joe.

_My pregnancy needs to remain a secret for my own safety. If you ever cared for me then you will keep it to yourself. _

Ranger saw the text and nodded. "I had Ella make you something special for lunch. We can discuss the case together when your ready or anything else." Ranger walked me into the elevator and I rested my back to his front. He placed his hands on my stomach in a protective manner as we waited to reach the penthouse.


	27. Chapter 27

SPOV

I looked under the covered dishes and had a big smile. Ella made me a meatball sub with extra sauce on her homemade bread with sweat potato fries. I prefer regular fries but I know these are healthier. Ranger had a grilled chicken salad with different fruit and berries but no dressing. I checked the crock pot and saw Ella had made chicken noodle soup with fresh bread to dip into it. Comfort foods. Ranger must have told Ella about my shitty day. I dished out the soup into bowls while Ranger grabbed our drinks.

I sat down taking a large bite moaning.

"This is exactly what I needed." We ate in a comfortable silence until I just had to talk to get the voices out of my own head.

"I've been reviewing our meeting with Rex and Royce and neither answered my question about the Trenton Gazette even though I asked twice. My guess is they don't know. I need to start looking at Violet's life."

"Proud of you Babe. You were in control and owned that room. You asked more questions then them and you kept them talking. They probably didn't realize how much information they gave you until it was over." He gave me his megawatt smile.

"Yeah but I only cracked Royce. Rex didn't give me a lot of answers. What did I do wrong with him?" Ranger thought about it for a while.

"You saw the tan line, he might just hate women right now because of his own issues. Surrounded by people he felt tough, as soon as you separated him from the others he cut the shit out. You did what I would have done. You handled him well and never let him push you. I didn't have to direct you or speak up. If I had any notes for you it would be just to work on your temper a little when it comes to personal attacks but that takes time... Shark Week?"

I started chuckling "I remember in Greece you said I could talk about any topic as long as I kept them talking and not actively thinking about what I was asking and why. You mentioned sports. Morelli knows sports and I didn't want him in the conversation so I kept saying Rex and then I thought of Animal Planet which led to my tangent. I saw Royce interested when I mentioned Animal Planet so I tried Shark Week." I started to chuckle.

"It's a good thing we wrapped up when we did, I didn't have many facts left other then Sharks can smell a single drop of blood from a great distance and use heart beats to track prey... O and male Blue Sharks will bite the female shark when he has a romantic interest in her."

Ranger nuzzled my neck giving me a small bite then using his tongue to kiss the spot. It made me smile and feel warm.

"If I ever see a shark your on your own though. I'm getting to shore as fast as possible."

Ranger gave me a big smile. "Babe shark attacks are rare. If you are ever bitten your suppose to latch on to their bodies so they can't rip off your limb then punch them in the eyes or nose. Sharks don't like to work for their food."

"I didn't know you watched Shark Week?" He just shook his head.

"I was in a situation once where we had no option but to swim in this water that could have had river sharks. Tank thought he was going to get bit. He had a bad feeling that day." I just kept looking at him waiting to tell me the end. He just chuckled and shook his head.

"No Babe, it's very rare."

I just shook my head. "You can defend yourself against a shark. I can't. With my luck I'll see one coming and he will go after me instead of you." Ranger just pulled me closer to him.

"What's your next step?" I sighed and breathed him in.

"Since Violet's the most recent victim I need to run a full background check, while it runs I am going to nap for two hours. Would it be ok if I used Rangeman resources? I want to buy my own programs but I can't find where to purchase them."

"Hector will put them on your Mac. Some are legally grey. You don't want to advertise you have them. I'll drop it off to Him on the way to my meeting, you'll have it back tomorrow. In the meantime you can use my office here. Your computer log in and password are in the top drawer of the desk." I gave him a big kiss in appreciation. He eventually broke it off and kissed my forehead.

"You know the things Morelli said about you aren't true right? Joe has always been jealous of you and our relationship. He was upset so he lashed out at you, when he should have lashed out at me. I know your truthful honest and faithful to me. We haven't dated that long but I know your character and I trust you. We both have enemies, I more then you it seems but I don't want you to push me away when one shows up.

And I don't know if I'll be a good mom but I see all the pregnancy books you have. I know you will be a caring father whether we're in a relationship or not. You love Julie. You didn't abandon her. I know you visit, send gifts and give child support. That is a lot more then other father's. You made sure she had two loving parents too." I put my hand on his cheek.

"Trust me, I was left with complete strangers without so much as a background check, you have definitely went way beyond your duty. I don't believe you will abandon me and the babies but your not tied down either. I like that were are together because we want to be and don't have to be, but if that ever changes for you I want to co-parent with you. You can't just disappear. I'll find you." I gave him a cheeky grin. Ranger pulled me into his arms and held me tight stroking my hair.

"What else is wrong?"

"I'm still in shock about everything. I held it together without going nuclear with Joe but...I don't know."

"You've grown. Acquired a new perspective. Things happen in life that change you. Your relationship with Morelli stunted both of you into a stall pattern. When it ended you re-evaluated yourself and made you better for you. No one else. Sometimes asking for help is the hardest step but you did and your better for it.

The money makes things easier too, opens more doors. You have the guidance from Anderson and Douglas, all you have to say is yes or no and they will do all the work making it easier for you. Relish in that happiness a little, you deserve it."

"If I've grown so much why can't I face my parents? She's called me a dozen times and I don't even check the voice mails. Why am I being a big chicken about facing them?"

"Growth is a process. They lied and hurt you. It's a different situation. You need time. Do you miss your old self?"

I thought about it for a few minutes. "No. I was all over the place. My entire life was chaos. The only thing I miss from the old me was the amount of takeout I ordered. I just feel safer and happier now despite everything."

"Me too. I can breathe easier knowing your safe." Ranger kissed me. "I have a meeting in ten. I'll miss dinner but I'll be in my office all day if you need me. Call Ella when your ready to eat." Ranger gave me one last kiss then grabbed my Mac off the table and left.

I went to Ranger's comfortable office and logged on. I brought up the search programs and started running Violet. It would take about two hours so I left the computer running and jumped in the comfortable bed while setting my alarm.

RPOV

I didn't want Babe to know that I heard Morelli offer to marry her and take care of my babies. It filled me with so much rage that I was ready to walk in, punch him then take Babe away. When I noticed Steph trying to get away from him he was lucky he still had a hand. I felt the beast inside of me coming out. The only reason I didn't strike was location. Beating up a detective in the Trenton PD is not the brightest move and Babe was in the room. I didn't want to cause her distress or have her see that side of me. Morelli better watch himself though. If I ever see him put his hands on her again I will take great pleasure in breaking every bone in his body.

Having lunch with Babe upstairs calmed me down but as soon as I was out the door I felt my anger building again. Tank followed me into my office.

"What's wrong? You look pissed?"

"Morelli knows about Steph and me." I explained to him everything that happened during both meetings and he got as angry as me. Tank wanted to place a shadow on Morelli but I didn't see the need to waste resources unless he started bothering Steph. She already had two bodyguards watching her back everyday.

"I'll make an emergency note in Steph's file right now for her bodyguards to be alerted to Morelli but you need to watch your back. He will make your life difficult out of pettiness. Stupid tickets, fines or trying to catch you in illegal activity with trumped up charges." After our talk Tank updated me on the meeting we were about to enter in the conference room with updated schematics. I'd rather be anywhere else right now.

SPOV

I woke up feeling a little better. Ranger said it's normal for pregnant women to nap during the day but it made me feel lazy. I didn't realize how much stress I was holding inside myself about talking to Morelli but know that he knows I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I know Joe is hurt. I can even understand how he thought we were going to be together that was our pattern but I hope after a while he just moves on with Ella or someone else. I don't want it to be awkward if we are at the same place at the same time.

I checked my phone again, Joe never responded to my text. Great. My phone hasn't exploded with calls so he must have kept his mouth shut. I went to Ranger's office and looked over Violet's full background. I printed off everything and grabbed a highlighter.

Violet didn't belong to many social groups just the club. She spent a lot of money at spa's and shopping but ordered a lot of romance books from online accounts. She spent her money redecorating from different online home stores and her medical records state she had her tubes tied after the birth of her daughter.

I started taking notes on the stores and addresses her credit card history reported in the few weeks before she was taken to see where the killer might have chosen her. She went to the spa multiple times, the club, a few fancy restaurants but was mostly a homebody. I had the sense Violet didn't like being single. I read over her divorce record from the court, she stated she was happily married until she caught her husband with their nanny after coming home from a child's birthday party with her daughter. She kicked him out and donated all of his belongings to the Salvation Army the next day. That's a lot classier then me.

Husband stated he fell in love with his employee and it was only the second time they had been together but it was true love and he planned on ending the marriage that night when his wife returned. He said he felt remorseful for her finding out before. Violet was heart broken and agreed on a custody agreement while splitting all of the assets in half.

Her phone records show she mostly called businesses for reservations or talked to her ex husband. She didn't have any friends it seems. I can understand that. After my divorce I suddenly had a lot less friends too. People pick sides or don't want to be around you when your upset and hurting.

I ran a search on The Leather Riding Crop but nothing came up. That told me they had someone similar to what I had Anderson do to protect my privacy. A business name instead of a owner with a lawyer as a contact. Smart. The club didn't even have a website to advertise themselves. I needed to see inside Violet's home to get a better picture of who she was. I wonder if her ex husband was in town. I tracked down his number, Winston Bishop.

"Hello."

"Hello Mr. Bishop. My name is Stephanie Plum, I am calling about your ex wife Violet. Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Are you with the police?"

"No Sir. I'm a private investigator and I just had a few questions if you don't mind. I wanted to know if Violet had any close friends, anyone she confided in?"

"I don't understand who hired you? I've already hired my own private investigator. I don't feel comfortable speaking to another."

"I have a personal connection to the case. I can assure you I'm trying to find justice for these women."

"Your name sounds familiar. I think I remember you from the papers... you solved some big case as a bounty hunter but I've hired Jeanne Ellen Burrows. I have nothing else to say. My daughter lost her mother recently, I've told the police and my investigator all I know. We need time to mourn privately please." He hung up.

Damn! It had to be Cat Woman. With my luck she will try and intimidate me again off this case or mess with my car. I groaned and went to look for a snack. Food comforts me. I had a feeling I had to talk to Royce so I pulled out his card.

"Stephanie. I didn't think I'd hear from you so soon. Dinner tonight?"

"No thanks. I just wanted to know what information did you or Rex give Jeanne Ellen Burrows?

"Name sounds familiar but I've met a lot of people recently, describe her to me."

"Blond, leather, cat woman minus the ears."

"O yeah. She rings a bell. She talked to Rex two days ago alone. All I know is she wanted copies of everything we had but he refused. They ended up talking a while when I was on my way out to lunch."

UGH! I could punch her! "Explains Rex's attitude without knowing me first." I bitterly chuckled. "You could have mentioned her earlier to me you know."

"I didn't realize she was important. The ex hired her after the body was found. He hired other investigators when she went missing but none of them found any trace of her. It was assumed she was taken around town because of her credit card activity from that day. Plus her security system was never disengaged according to the record. Violet's ex is a piece of work too. Wouldn't give us any straight answer about The Leather Riding Crop or who to contact. He's currently in Spain so it's not like we can haul him in either."

"Did you find the other woman?"

"I've been looking for a while since the seventh victim. Problem is people disappear all the time. The list is long since the age range is extensive and profile is wide. I'm impressed you picked up on it. Trenton doesn't seem to have a lot of intelligent cops."

"Send me that list let me see what I can do. What about the Trenton Gazette article?"

"Morelli ran the lead. It's a dead end. Twelve states ran that story with follow up articles as well as featured it online. My guess, slow news cycle so other publications picked it up because it was a sexy story. Although after you left Morelli stormed out of the station looking pissed. Care to explain? I heard he was your ex."

"He is, hopefully one day a friend again. I should go. I want to walk the places Violet was in her final weeks tonight."

"Keep in touch dollface."

"Sure boy scout." At least it's better then Cupcake.

I printed Violet's drivers license photo and the list of addresses she frequented along with her home address. I went into the closet and grabbed one of Ranger's extra lock pick sets just in case. I probably couldn't break in anywhere but I'm hoping Woody can if I have the tools for him. I still need a lot more practiced but I also carry a bobby pin now thanks to Ranger.

I made my way to the elevator and gave a little finger wave to the hidden camera. Control usually alerted my bodyguard I was on the move to save time. Since this was all higher end places I made sure to wear my best clothes. A formal business dress from Spain and French boots with my French Ruffle trench coat. I also moved my gun to my thigh instead of my holster today. I'm still surprised I'm carrying it. I haven't been to the gun range this week but I feel like I won't shot myself anymore. I frowned at my bag. I needed to look for a better bag for my work files, my purse is about to burst. I decided to hit the mall tonight.

"Where to Steph?" I tossed him the keys and gave him a list of addresses in Princeton. None of the restaurants or clothing boutiques even remembered her. I figured I've worked retail before in college, you see a lot of faces. I told everyone I interviewed Violet was my friend because I thought more people would come forward if they thought it was personal, so far it wasn't working in my favor. When I hit the spa the front desk girl recognized Violet's picture right away. She called up a technician named Jasmine who Violet spent the most time with.

"Hi Stephanie." We shook hands then got down to business. "I was told you know my friend Violet?" I showed her the picture.

"Of course. She always came in for treatments and a cut, nice woman. I already told the police I don't know anything. We gossiped about celebrities not her own life and she didn't act weird that day at all."

I asked her to pull up Violet's treatments from that day. She mostly spent time with Jasmine but had a massage with Clive. I asked to speak with him.

Clive was a short man with blue hair, kind of new age meets GQ. It was odd but it worked for him.

We introduced ourselves and talked about Violet's day. Clive said the police interviewed him too but he didn't know anything.

"What aren't you saying Clive? I can see your holding back." I gave him a small smile for encouragement.

He looked around. "In confidence right?" I nodded.

"Since she started coming in here she had marks on her body. Red marks on her butt, sometimes light brushing on her ankles, love bites all over her stomach. I asked her after a year if she was being abused and she laughed. She told me in confidence that she liked being tied up and spanked. She didn't realize until she met her husband and I guess they did that together but once she was divorced she was depressed.

It took her a long time to get over his betrayal but she did eventually for her daughter. She wanted to be happy again. She had several waxing appointments and treatments before she would meet any new men. Violet really wanted someone in her life again. She said she liked taking care of her family. She mentioned a club she went to, said it was safer then finding someone off the street to be with since everyone was thoroughly vetted and clean. She always had a smile on her face when she went afterwards. Hell I was even jealous of her smile but she was happy again."

"How often did she go? Did she mention anyone specific?"

"I'm guessing several times a week by her marks. She was friendly with a bartender I think. She always ordered a dirty Shirley Temple and said they made it the best. She wanted me to try it. I never did but I think I will in her honor tonight." He seemed upset that she was gone. I gave Clive my card and we said our goodbyes.

"I've been out of college too long. What's a dirty Shirley Temple?"

"Shirley Temple with vodka. It's not something I see woman order a lot in bars in my experience. Cosmopolitans, margaritas, bay breezes sure but a dirty Shirley no. If you can get into that club you can order it and see which bartender recognizes making it and strike up a conversation."

Woody drove us by the club and you couldn't even see the building. High gate, high fence, cameras everywhere they took security and privacy seriously. We hit the call button and Woody talked to the security guard. He denied us access just like the police because we weren't members.

"Let's break for dinner I'm craving tacos. Maybe come back later and stake out down the street tonight writing down license plates to run for members. Maybe I can get in if I talk to someone."

"I'm more of a traditionalist myself with a woman, I enjoy the courtship but I have another idea." I gave him a big smile. Who says courtship anymore?

"I'm not into this lifestyle but some guys in the army... experiment on occasion with women. I don't know anyone in Trenton Rangeman that knows how clubs like this work but I do have a feeling I know someone in Miami. Do you want to call together, maybe get an idea when should come back or see how this place may operate?"

I was blushing. "Sure. Thanks." After a rough debate where we were going to eat dinner we decided on Chipotle. Woody said it wasn't as good as the real stuff but I was starving. I would have attacked him soon if I didn't feed my craving for guacamole. Woody called on the car phone to Miami as we drove to dinner.

"Yo."

"Yo Santos." Santos! Ranger's cousin. I covered my eyes and groaned. I really didn't want to know about his sexual needs just in case I had to see him at a family function in the future. I held my breath.

"I'm in the car with Stephanie Plum and we have a question for you."

"Finally! I've been dying to work together again beautiful. It's been a very long time but I have heard a lot about you from Tank."

"The funeral home burning down wasn't my fault." He started chuckling.

"Don't worry all good things cuz." Cuz? I'm not even married to Ranger. "Tell Les what you need that Ranger couldn't provide." He said it in a teasing tone that made me smile."I've been waiting a long time for this day. Miami has been looking to bring you down to work with us for a while." I blushed again.

"Umm I'm working on this case, it involves an alternate lifestyle club called The Leather Riding Crop in Princeton. We were just wondering if you knew anything about it." I pulled out my legal pad to take notes.

"Yeah it sounds familiar. I haven't been there myself but I've been with a girl who was a member. Let me call her now. What are you investigating?"

"The kidnapping and murder of Violet Bishop. I want to know if she was friend's with anyone, talked about having any problems etc."

"Gotcha call you back." Woody and I drove back in silence. If Ranger's cousin was involved in this lifestyle maybe Ranger was too. I started feeling worried he'd want to start doing crazy things in bed eventually that was way out of my comfort zone. Then I become sad thinking Ranger took other women to places like this. Ranger hasn't pushed me passed my comfort level but we have been expanding our bedroom horizons slowly together. It's been pleasurable so far. I started chewing on my lip.

"Ranger loves you. I believe he has loved you for a long time. I haven't seen him with another woman or even give someone even a faint interest since before your Abruzzi case. He is a private man, he doesn't just loan his cars or let anyone in his apartment, let alone his building with a fob. Your special to him. We all have a past, even you. You can't hold anything against him." I whipped my head around looking at Woody with a questioning face.

"Your face had a lot of expressions, I saw sadness. I just assumed. But this little conversation is between us. I don't need to be taken to the mats for speaking out of turn. We need to work on your blank face though." He gave me a wink and I appreciated his words. I had no right to be sad. I was with Morelli for a long time and I'm sure that bothered Ranger a lot. I hate when my insecurity creeps up sometimes. I blame Dickie for these feelings. Old habits die hard. I just need to keep reminding myself Ranger isn't like the men I have dated in the past.

The car phone rang again as we parked for dinner.

"Yo beautiful you got a pen handy?" I told him go.

"It's a private couples club but single woman can get memberships too. Occasionally men but it's rare. You have to apply for membership and have a member as a reference for you. Candy said your more likely to get entry as a couple then an individual. Once you email your application they background check you and make sure you have the minimum finances of one million in your accounts to gain access. Then the club grants an interview within 24 hours in which you both need to provide a clean Std test from a doctor then if you pass you get the tour. A couple is on probation for one month then if accepted they pay a $25,000 fee upfront with $5,000 a month to maintain the membership. It's extremely private. They have you sign NDA's before you enter and have a lot of rules about confidentiality, yours and other members."

"Holy crap! I can't believe someone would pay that!" I crinkled my nose. "Aren't places like that dirty? It can't be clean to do those activities all over." I shivered thinking about the furniture covered in stains.

"No way. High end places like this have a cleaning service on site for every area after use. They are sticklers for hygiene. Any equipment used is bleached and any toys used are thrown away after use. Trust me you will smell the cleaners when you get the tour. Candy didn't know Violet well but she said she was on the second floor a lot. I asked Candy to give you a reference. Do you want me to fly down and partner with you? I can leave now and be there in a few hours." He said it in a playful way that made me laugh. I pictured him wiggling his eyebrows.

Woody looked really uncomfortable. "Santos. Ranger will kill you if you take her to that place." Les started laughing harder.

"I'm joking. I told Candy, Marc and Stephanie Pardo want the reference but you can't cause problems because Candy could lose her membership for your bad behavior, so be discreet. Woody have Hector fake the Std tests and I will have the application sent to Ranger's email in the next hour to get the ball rolling. You may get in tomorrow if your lucky." Yeah sounds right my luck would get me into a place like this.

"When the interviewer asks who referred you say Candice Dupree. I want to hear all the details in January when you come down with Ranger for the reviews."

"I don't know if I'm coming. We haven't discussed January yet, it's been a crazy few days."

"I hope you do. You can stay at my house and be on the beach all you want. Think about it cuz. I'm personally inviting you. I gotta go. An alarm." He hung up. Woody and I ran inside to eat.

RPOV

My meeting ran long. The client was an older gentleman with a very young wife who seemed more interested in me then her security system. My men know not to sleep with clients but I will have to make sure we send someone I know will turn her down flat at the installation. I just got a bad feeling about her. I politely ignored her innuendos but I was annoyed.

I kept replaying Stephanie in control earlier during the interrogation. It made me proud but painfully hard watching her in control. After Morelli's rant we both needed a release and neither of us could indulge because I'm here. Hopefully she will be awake by the time I get back to the apartment tonight.

I finished the meeting and collected the plans for his business and home then worked on status reports. My back log of work and calls was growing by the hour. I heard my email ping. It was an email from Santos with the caption "You lucky Bastard." I clicked on. The only thing he wrote was "Your woman requested this for the two of you." I was really confused so I opened the attachment. I took a sip of my water and started coughing in a fit.

The document wanted our names, occupations, net worth, how long we have been married, current sexual interests and different lists to check off preferences of different toys and equipment. It asked if we wanted to include other people, which gender and things we were willing to try together...What the hell is this?

I picked up my phone and called him thinking he was playing a prank on me since I had a girlfriend now.

"Yo."

"What is this?"

"O Steph called and said you were a slouch in the bedroom department so I told her I'd help you guys out. I offered to come down myself and handle it but I didn't think you'd like that."

"WHAT!" He started laughing loudly. Asshole.

"I'm not taking her to this. Our-relationship- is-private-asshole."

"No seriously dude you are or I am. It's for The Leather Riding Crop. She needs to talk to a bartender and the security is tight. Your going undercover as the Pardo's." Les explained the situation to me and I still couldn't believe my Babe was willing to do this. This was way out of her comfort zone. I would never bring her to a place like this ever. I thought about this assignment and decided to use this as a small opportunity to open her eyes to what else is out there in a safe environment.

Maybe we could go into a private room once we got the intel after I check it for bugs and cameras and broaden her horizons a bit more if she was comfortable. I had a small smile on my face now. Les and I caught up then I dropped the rest of my work to start filling out this application to send back. I'm swamped with work but I'll clear my schedule for this tomorrow night. I know their is a good chance Babe won't do anything with me at the club but maybe something might peak her interest that we could do back in the safety of our bedroom. My day was finally starting to look up.

SPOV

After dinner Woody and I hit the mall. I found the most beautiful Micheal Kor's brown leather bag that could hold my files and everything in my purse. I could use the handles or drape it across my body to carry. Perfect. I transferred all my stuff into the new bag in the car and reviewed my notes.

"Let's drive by her house I need to see it. Maybe drive around the neighborhood. Are you comfortable with doing a little B and E with me? You can say no and I won't hold it against you. Hell three years ago B and E to me meant bacon and eggs." Woody just gave me a big smile.

"It's fine. Do you know how to pick a lock?" I shook my head and explained. Violet's home was beautiful and well maintained. She took pride in her home. A simple yellow Victorian with a porch. Woody parked us down a few houses and then he put his arm around my shoulders pretending we lived in the area. We went right to the front door and noticed the alarm wasn't on so he got in quickly."

"Don't you think it's strange the alarm isn't on?"

Woody shook his head and pulled gloves out of his pocket for both of us. In the car he asked me to put my hair up so we didn't leave DNA behind.

"I'm sure the police have been in and out a lot. They probably left it off on purpose." Huh that made sense. We went from room to room. You could see the dust bunnies in every room and marks from where items have been moved with new dust in its place. Violet's home was shabby chic, very warm and friendly. She had pictures of her and her daughter everywhere. After we cleared the downstairs we moved up to her bedroom. Her closet was the size of my old apartment bedroom. Heaven. It made Ranger's closet look like a shack and his was beautiful, modern with custom with Mahogany. One side was her everyday clothes and the other side had different sexy outfits and a few leather pieces. Inside the drawers were toys and books about recovering from divorce and having great sex. Other books were about moving on and being happy. In most drawers in her closet were large amounts of romance novels too.

I wondered where they were since we checked every other room in the house. Woody and I checked every square inch of the downstairs and upstairs coming up empty. The police took her computer so I was starting to give up. I checked out her shoes. They were stunning. We wore the same size. I picked up some Jimmy Choo's to check out. I really wanted to try them on but I knew it was in poor taste. I felt horrible for even thinking it. I placed them back knocking over another pair next to them on the wooden shelf. The shoe falling made a weird noise against the wood though. I dropped the shoe again.

"Hey help me here." I placed the four pairs of shoes on the floor in the order they were on the wooden shelf to make sure it didn't look like anyone was here after we left, then woody and I tried to move the piece of wood. We tried to lift it up but then he pushed in and it clicked up allowing us to slide it out of place.

"Hidey-hole... This one is a good one. People would walk right passed it. Professional. Rangeman does them on occasion for clients but most people prefer wall safes. What gave it away?"

"The sound of the shoe hitting it. It sounded wrong."

"Yeah that's the problem with them. They are made of a different materials so you can maneuver them out of place easier."

"Still cool. If I ever get a house I'm having a few of these and I want a book case that moves out of place leading to a secret room." He gave me a smile.

I turned on the overhead light over the shoes. "Divorce certificate, birth certificates, important tax papers and a profit statement from the club. Shit she was really loaded. What I saw in her bank account was small compared to this. She had a Cayman account, probably hiding it from her ex so she still got spousal support for her daughter." I took out my phone and started taking pictures of everything. In the bottom of the hole was a folded piece of paper. A love note.

_My Dearest Love, I have admired you from afar but have been shy to approach you. I think you are enchanting and a true gem in this world. I think of you often. I hope one day to have the courage to approach you with my interest. Until then. Your Knight_

I looked at Woody when he spoke. "He should have just approached her if he cared for her. She loved romance novels, she would have loved this guy, probably looked everywhere she went for him."

"She would have been looking for him... this might be a clue. I checked her dating history. A boyfriend didn't come up until before she was married and Clive told us she frequented the club. This could be from the killer to lure her to him so he could take her. If it was from an ex boyfriend or a husband she wouldn't keep it. Women don't keep old love letters when a guy screws you over." I took pictures of the letter and checked the quality. "Card stock generic. It could be purchased anywhere. We can't leave it behind but we also can't tell anyone where we found it without getting arrested. The police have been through here several times by the different dust patterns, we can't leave it out randomly." I placed it into a zip lock bag Woody took from his pocket.

"Do you know any cops you can give it to that won't ask questions?" We started to put everything back in place and checked the rest of the shelves to see if anything else moved out of place. Nothing. We worked our way back down to the car. "I thought about it, I use to call Morelli a lot in this grey area. He would have covered for me but he isn't happy with me right now. The other cops are patrol, it would be suspicious if they received evidence." I started biting my lip then thought of Royce. I got a good feeling about him but I could just be vague how I found the evidence. I didn't have many options. I didn't want to destroy evidence by running it myself plus that would be expensive. I pulled out my cell and called his phone.

"Dollface, twice in one day I'm getting excited." I rolled my eyes.

"I have a lead for you but I need discretion. Can we meet? I need to give you something alone and I want that missing person's list." We agreed to meet up in Hamilton since it was halfway from Trenton and Princeton at a Barnes and Noble. I wanted a busy setting so no one saw us talking.

We arrived early and sat in the Starbucks section. Woody was on high alert. He seemed to hate large crowds and I noticed would talk less when we were in them.

Royce walked in wearing a black pea coat and a devilish smirk.

"I have a feeling this is going to be good."

"I have something for you to give to forensics but you have to be vague where you got it from. It's a good lead, the only one I've found so far." He gave me a nod.

"Completely off the record you have my word, just tell me the whole picture." He nodded to Woody. I told him how we happen to be in the neighborhood and Violet's door was unlocked so we checked it out. Royce's smile grew larger and larger as I told this. I explained where I found the letter and how nothing else was hidden. We double checked. I showed him the picture of the note on my phone so he wouldn't touch the letter. He took the evidence and promised to keep it quiet and exchanged it for the list I requested.

"Have you got any information from the club yet?" He just shook his head.

"We have both our federal and local lawyers trying to convince a judge but he doesn't see just cause. The club has excellent legal counsel in place. I don't expect us to get in at all, but if you do, I'd be happy to tag along with you." He gave me a wink. If I was able to get into that club ahead of Jeanne Ellen and the cops for this investigation I could have a better lead in this case. It fueled me even more to check it out with Ranger.

"Sorry boy scout I'm taken." I gave him a smirk. He looked confused.

"Morelli said you were over? Who are you seeing?"

"Between us?" He gave a nod. "The big Cuban guy in the interrogation room." He just shook his head.

"Damn shame. You are one of the most interesting people I have met in long time." I smiled at his comment and thanked him. We parted ways friendly and left separately. I grabbed an ice tea for the ride home and a blueberry muffin. Woody got me into the elevator then took the stairs. I was just finishing my ice tea and noticed it was close to ten. At least that nap helped my energy go a long way today.

The elevator stopped on five and Ranger entered. He gave me his small smile but had dark eyes when we saw my dress and boots. He looked like he wanted to eat me in that moment. He wrapped his arm around my waist and nuzzled my neck as we rode to the penthouse. I barely got into the front door when he picked me up and walked me to the bedroom. I could tell he needed a release as much as me. Our first time was quick and hard with half of our clothes still on. Ranger corrected that problem then sweetly kissed my body and stomach for round two.

By the time we were done we were covered in sweat and needed to change the sheets. We jumped into a quick shower together before bed discussing our days. I didn't mention Royce or Jeanne Ellen. I had a feeling Ranger didn't like him and Jeanne Ellen has always been an unanswered question between us that I really didn't want answered. They had some sort of relationship at one point according to the rumors but I haven't seen her with him ever. I've always been curious if he tracks her vehicles like mine though, in the past or now.

Everything about her makes me feel inferior. Yes I have learned some new things from Ranger but when it comes to her professionally, I'm still feeling a bit insecure. She has skills and a lot of experience. I felt the same way about Ranger in the beginning so I guess that's normal.

I just don't want to involve Ranger in our showdown if we have one again. Last time I asked him whose side he was on and he said his own. Luckily I've been thinking of ways all day to mess with her if she bothers me. I texted Connie on my drive home asking her for the special stink she makes to prank people. It's moldy things that smell horrible in a liquid form. If I can get one of the merry men to break into her shiny black Jaguar I could pour it all over everything. Connie dislikes her as much as me so she agreed to make several batches. If I can't get into the car my backup plan is to just pour it all over the outside of the Jaguar and in the trunk. Ranger told me Les was a prank master maybe I'll text him tomorrow for help but be vague about who it's for. He seemed nice enough on the phone today.

Ranger showed me the print out of the application while we were settling in bed cuddling. "I can't believe you wrote these things! What happens if they question me during the interview? I haven't done half that stuff!" I felt panic.

"Relax Babe. I had to pad it a little to make it look like we are open to options but I made sure to write we are an exclusive couple and we will not be sharing each other with anyone else. We will just kiss and grope a little. Have a few drinks and dance. We can pretend to go in a private room for a bit and just sit down to add to our cover. You don't have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable I promise.

Maybe you will even see something you want to try together in the privacy of our bedroom." He whispered in my ear and started nibbling on my ear. I trusted him. He would never force me into anything. I started to relax again, Ranger touching me was helping.

I kept reading the application and saw he wrote I'm new to the scene and we are experimenting as a couple. Good. And then I read the last line about him being a dominant and I'm his submissive. I dropped the paper on my chest and glared at him.

"Why am I the submissive? Why couldn't you be the submissive?" Ranger just raised an eye brow at me and grinned.

"Babe." That Babe meant seriously? It's true Ranger did not look like a man who would ever submit to anyone. Damn.

"It's just an application. It's not real and I wrote it so it wouldn't look strange for us to be on that floor talking to the bartender. I spoke to Santos about the layout and the third floor is hardcore so we will stick to the first two. If you get really uncomfortable we will leave no questions asked." When Ranger held me like this skin to skin, playing with my hair looking deep into my eyes I felt like I was able to do anything... We were going to do this and it was going to be interesting no question about it.


	28. Chapter 28

SPOV

Grandma texted me this morning that she put all of her things away and placed all my personal items in the living room to organize, so I decided that was my plan this morning. Ranger asked me not to carry anything over 10 lbs so Ella was nice enough to help me pack empty suitcases and boxes into one of the Rangeman SUV's since it was bigger then the Porsche. Bones is my bodyguard today and hasn't said one word to me. He just nods. No matter what I say it's a nod. It's driving me nuts. Bones carried boxes for me while I rolled the suitcases to Grandma Mazur's.

I had a full breakfast curiosity of Ella, but Grandma Mazur insisted I have a muffin too. I didn't want to be rude so I ate a few with peanut butter and jelly creating my own little Tastykake. I was happy to see her happy here.

I walked through the bedroom and bathroom and she did indeed move every item to the couch or coffee table even the sex toys and movies Lula bought for me in the past. Still in their original boxes too. I hid them underneath a pillow, but Grandma commented on them in front of Bones and asked me to compare them to Ranger. Bones didn't even flinch about Grandma Mazur. I found a grocery bag and placed the Pleasure Treasure items inside then left it on her bed as a house warming gift.

I made two piles, keep and trash. I trashed any clothes with stains or holes which was most of my casual wear since that was what I wore when I went bounty hunting and got rid of old shoes. Mostly my dressier outfits and heels were the only items going in the suitcases.

I boxed up my movie collection, photos, papers and mementos and in the end I really didn't have much. Four boxes, three suitcases and a medium garbage bag of clothes with three holiday rubber maids filled with decorations. I had eight trash bags for the dumpster so bones moved everything in the hall and made the trips to the dumpster and the car while we secured ourselves into the apartment with the Rangeman alarm system.

Grandma and I discussed my mom and how she was going nuts unable to talk to me. She wanted the full story but backed off when she saw the tears in my eyes. Dillon stopped by during my visit and I informed him about the changes in the lease and he seemed sad to see me go but understood. He presented Grandma with a gold plaque engraved with black lettering and an image of handcuffs above the words to mount to the apartment door.

It said "Stephanie Plum, The Bombshell Bounty Hunter has moved. Sorry you missed her but thankful for the unnecessary carpet cleaning you would have caused."

I didn't think it was hysterical but Grandma loved it and took pictures with it to show her friends. Dillon stayed for lunch and Grandma made us grilled cheese with tomato soup just like when I was little. I looked around my old home, Grandma had made it her own. It look good. A throw on the sofa, curtains, flowers on the coffee table, the dining room table made up with table cloth, napkins with holders. I was kinda sad I never had the opportunity to do this. Between the firebombings and stalkers trashing the place, I never had the cash anyway. Bones refused lunch and was starting to make my eye twitch.

Eventually we said our goodbyes and started exiting the apartment building when I heard glass breaking and a car alarm blaring. Some woman was annihilating our car. Bones hit his panic button.

"Holy shit! She's taking a baseball bat to our car!" We were about 25 feet from her so I drew my gun and aimed it at her to be on the safe side.

"Hey Stop!"

She turned around and I had no idea who she was but she had blond hair in a bun in casual clothes with mascara running down her checks. She saw my gun and got angrier. "I HATE YOU!"

She hit the car window one last time with her bat then charged at me. I was just about to pull the trigger when out of the corner of my eye I saw Bones charge her then tackle her to the ground getting the bat away from her. She was trying to fight him but secured her while she hysterically cried. I lowered my gun to my side. A Rangeman SUV screeched into the lot and Hal jumped out with a raised gun checking me over.

"Secure." Bones stated. Hal put away his gun so I holstered mine. Ranger ran to me from his Turbo with a blue and white cruiser entering the lot behind him.

I felt dizzy. Another of Ranger's cars was completely trashed on my watch. I felt sick about it but at least it wasn't the Porsche. I would pay for the damages to make it up to him.

Ranger started checking me for injuries and asking if I was ok. All I could do was nod. She smashed every window, light, dinged the door. Crazy bitch.

"I'm so sorry about your car, I'll pay for it to be fixed but I have no clue who the psycho is." Ranger reminded me I was more important then a car and she would pay for it not me.

Bones had the woman in handcuffs but had to hold her up by her shoulders or she would have fallen to the ground. She was crying and wailing it was annoying.

By now all the residents of the apartment building were cheering at me and welcoming back from their windows enjoying the show. I gave a slight waive and Grandma said she'd be right down. I heard a few residents say how it's always exciting when I'm around and that they have missed me. I just rolled my eyes. I liked it when it was less exciting.

Ranger gave a nod to Hal who took a guard stance next to me then approached the woman.

"Stop! Why did you destroy my car and attack my woman?"

By now Eddie Garza walked over and hugged me hello. He settled in to watch Ranger's interrogation too.

"She ruined my life! She stole my boyfriend! I hate her!" She broke into hysterics again.

"Huh?" Who did I steal?

Eddie bumped me "Joe's new girl Ella."

"Are you freaking kidding me. I'm going to kill him!" I was furious. She could have hurt me and the babies. I saw red. I walked up to her and slapped her across the face to snap her out of her crying.

I heard Eddie voice "I didn't see that." He started admiring the sky then.

"Joe and I have been done for over five months! You just trashed my boyfriend's SUV and tried to kill me! I don't even know you! Joe and I aren't even talking right now you psycho!"

She got an angry look on her face. "Last night I went over to his place, our place! He had been drinking but he was horny so I took care of his needs the way you never would." She gave me a smug look and I crinkled my face in disgust. "And while he was pounding into me every which way he said your name over and over then came to you inside of me! I'm with him now! I want to be Mrs Joe Morelli!"

I got even more angry. I had nothing to do with this. I thought I was going to punch her. "Joe's all yours! You could have just talked to me first!" Ranger grabbed me from underneath my arm pits to hold me back from her.

"Are you stupid! Go trash his truck then! Hit him with a freaking bat! Your psychotic! I have a BOY-FRIEND! Look at him! Your lucky Bones saved your ass before I put a bullet in you!" She started screaming to Eddie to arrest me for assault but Eddie just grabbed Ella and put her in back of the police cruiser.

Ranger held me against his body to calm my anger inside of me, reminding me of my blood pressure and asking me to take deep breaths.

Eddie took all of our statements and pressed charges against her. Ranger also pressed charges for the damage to his car. In the end Eddie gave me a hug and kiss and told me he would drop it by Rangeman for me to sign later.

Grandma came over to check on me but had to run upstairs to call everyone she knew. Ranger placed me into the turbo and gave me a long and deep kiss showing me how much he loved me.

We made our way back to Rangeman."The old me would have felt sorry for her maybe even not pressed charges but she could have hurt me and the babies. I will never forgive that... I feel like if I let her walk she could come after me again. By doing nothing it sends a message that everyone is open to attacking me... This is Joe's fault too. I warned him about hurting her and instead of attacking him, she came after me."

"Your a good person with a big heart. Even if you didn't press charges Bones and I would have. People need to understand they can't walk all over you, eventually you will build a reputation that supports that. I know you feel a little guilty but this wasn't your fault. You can't control her behavior. I've already contacted my attorney for a restraining order and the control room has contacted every bond agency within 30 miles from Trenton not to extend bail to her while you gave Eddie your statement." Ranger parked in his spot at Rangeman. I opened my door to get out and he lifted me into his arms.

"I'm fine I can walk Ranger." He just shook his head.

"This isn't for you Babe. I need to touch you right now." I understood what he meant. He needed to assure himself I was ok. I didn't protest anymore I just placed my head into his neck and let his scent wash over me. Ranger placed me in bed and took off all of my clothes. He removed his as well pulling the covers over us. His arm went under my neck and his other hand protectively to my stomach. We intertwined our legs while he gave me soft little kisses then deeper ones.

"I'm sorry I took you from work. I know you have a lot to catch up on, you can get back when you need to."

He just shook his head." Being here is more important to me. When I'm ready I'll work from my office up here. Tank will take my meeting. I need to be close to you today. You said after moving you were going to research from here, so we can stay in together."

"He kissed my lips a few more times then moved his hand between my thighs to my sex. I couldn't help but moan and enjoy his fingers. I felt him move on top of me and enter me slowly. His hips gently rocked in and out of me as he kissed my jaw and lips.

"I love you Carlos."

Ranger broke into soft Spanish while he kissed my body. I had no idea what he was saying except for "I love you too." After holding each other skin to skin Ranger told Tank to bring up his paperwork. Ranger put on some lounge pants and grabbed our laptops to work in bed. I put on Ranger's shirt from today and grabbed our drinks and a snack tray of fruit Ella had made earlier. Hector really did a number on my Mac. Somehow it was faster cleaner and organised. I thought it was a different machine until I saw the small scratch on the top that told me it was indeed mine.

While Ranger did paperwork and emails, I had a list of 35 names to check out from Royce for my missing victim. My personal cell didn't ring but my work one wouldn't shut up so I silenced it. I let Royce know my private number but told him to keep it to himself. He told me he heard about my morning and was happy I was ok.

He mentioned Joe was hung over and at the jail now talking to Ella. I could have cared less. That's his crazy to deal with and I already had plenty of my own.

Ranger worked in silence but I plugged my headphones in and listened to _Pandora_. Occasionally Ranger would put his arm around me or grab my hand rubbing his thumb along my palm making me feel like we were back in Greece again in our own little world.

All of the names Royce gave fit the killer's profile in someway. Single women or engaged that appeared single due to the spouse being away. Age range 24-36, lived alone without many friends.

First victim was held for 5 weeks, the second 1 month and 1 week, the third 5 months, the fourth 5 months and 2 weeks, the fifth 2 months and 2 weeks, the sixth 2 months and 3 weeks, the seventh 7 months and 2 days and the ninth almost 3 months.

The eight victim was barely 3 weeks. He had to search for the next woman before could kill the current one. He always replaces the women quickly within weeks of the prior ones death. He kills one then hunts the next looking for an opening since he already researched them. Some time frames even over lap. He had the 7th woman the same time as the 8th for a few weeks. I felt a shiver run down my back. I cleared my mind and placed my head against the pillow.

Where would I hide a body if I had to hide the evidence. I started making a list of ways I'd hide someone and eventually Ranger spoke up.

"Should I know what your planning? Or just be prepared to alibi you?"

"Your a funny guy. I was just thinking... let's say he has never hid a body before. He doesn't want it found, how would an average person get rid of it? TV, internet, movies would be my source. I wouldn't tell anyone except maybe you if this was my situation.

I wouldn't just drop a body into water, people always find those eventually. The dump is more Mob style but again those bodies are also found often. Homicide cops routinely check there. I wouldn't burn it because a fire draws attention no matter where you are. He wasn't near Florida so he couldn't go to a swamp to feed an alligator. It would be to risky to drive that far. It's one thing to sedate a woman and travel with her, if your pulled over you can lie and say is drunk or took a sleeping pill but a dead body no.

If she was bloody or messed up that's a different story... it would kill me not knowing for sure when or if that body would be found unless I knew where it was at all times. Probably monitor the area I guess, if I owned a large property I'd hide it there in the ground. No one would dig on my land... and if I didn't have land somewhere private, the Pine Barrens.

If I was really smart and in shape with a bunch of time I'd go to a cemetery dig deeper into an already dug out plot that was prepared earlier in the day then hide the body under the dirt so the coffin the next day would be placed on top and never found. Although that's a ton of work, someone could come by and see me. Maybe it would just be easier break into a crematory and dispose of the body."

Ranger just gave a nod but didn't comment. I didn't want to know if he ever got rid of a body I assume he has. I'm sure they were bad people or he was ordered too. In my heart I knew he was a good man and I loved him regardless. I know him though, he believes he has bad karma but I don't. I gave him a big kiss.

"I wouldn't make a great criminal."

"No but your good at thinking through different views of the deranged and delinquent. Run with it as part of his profile. It's good to look at some of the missing girls but with so many you might want to start finding something the women had in common that attracted him in the first place to narrow your search. Your best bet will be running deep backgrounds on the victims. The killer held these women between 1 month to 5 months except for two. Those two I would focus on right now."

"The seventh and eighth. Seven was 7 months and 2 days and the eighth was barely 3 weeks." I kissed him on the way to my bathroom break.

Ranger and I eventually settled in again and he was like a machine with paperwork and emails. While I ran background checks and surfed the internet, I checked my work phone and deleted the gossips asking me personal questions.

I decided to keep this as my work number since everyone knew it and could call on me for my services. Looks like Grandma told everyone I was an investigator now, at least it saves me from advertising. I've also found sometimes people leave gossip for me about other people that I have used on cases on occasion. I look at it as taking the good with the bad. Anytime I heard my mother on my voice mail I delete it. The last message was from Joe so I listened.

_"Cup...Stephanie. I heard what Ella did and I'm very sorry, this is all my fault. She is normally not like this but a sweet person. She took out her anger at me on you. I'm sorry. I was stupid, drunk and upset yesterday. I take full responsibility. Ella and I are taking a break but I wanted to talk to you about the charges or at least help her get bail. Vinnie refused for fear of Ranger and so did Les Sebring._

_ I know what Ella did was wrong but it was in the moment and she was hurt. We had fought that morning and she saw you enter your apartment building so she went home for the bat because she felt threatened. Everyone comments to her about you. I explained to her we aren't together and you've moved on with Ranger. I made sure she knew you were completely innocent and it was all me, she was very remorseful. I feel responsible please call me back."_

I snorted. I saw Ella's smug look when she talked about her having sex with Joe. She was jealous and territorial. People would never stop comparing her to me in this town, hell I use to hear about him and Terri a lot and I never trashed Terri's car. I know about being angry in the moment, I wanted to punch her thanks to my crazy hormones but I also had a strange feeling about her too.

I gave the phone to Ranger to listen too and he grew tense, simmering with anger. I explained to him my observations about Ella and the comparisons I dealt with. He agreed with me, even if she was sorry, jealousy doesn't go away over night. I'd always be the enemy in her eyes. We agreed to maintain our position.

I was eventually going to call Joe back but I wanted to run an in depth search on Ella. I was curious if she had an imbalance or a record. While that ran I felt bad for Ranger so I took a stack of his papers and started organizing and taking notes on what he would need for Trenton's reviews. He kissed my head in appreciation.

My notes consisted of any major flags or changes in each man's file along with if they received a write up or were late often. I pointed out new skills they acquired this year too. I never realized Tank and Ranger tracked everything about these men. I knew about the constant background checks but they tracked gun skills, gym time, partner relationship and had a running commentary page on every man during the month. The good and bad. It was intense. I highlighted and made notes in the margins to make it easier. I wondered if my file was in this stack? I got a quarter of the way into the men when Ella's results pinged.

No criminal record, paid bills, worked from home. I looked at her medical history... hmm she goes regularly but isn't on birth control right now. She stopped at the end of September according to her Doctor's notes. I looked further into her credit cards nothing interesting. I looked into her insurance claims, she has a therapist. Not uncommon people do go to them. I dug deeper. She has been in therapy since high school wow! Her parents also took out a second mortgage that same year she went into therapy but they only had to have a co-pay. I don't see any repairs to the home or permits issued that year but I see a check made out to Eloise Witt.

I look into Eloise at the time and she was 17 when she received the money. I ran a check on her for that time period and let it run for a while. I went back to my Rangeman paper work. I remember researching some of these men before when Ranger had asked but everyone's background mostly comes up clean. My search pings eventually and I view her background and medical history. I'm in shock from the doctor's notes from that month. I pull out my phone and call Joe.

"Hey Steph thanks for the call. I just wanted..."

"Stop. I heard your message but you have bigger problems. I don't know if you investigated Ella before but she has a history of being in therapy since she was 17. Her parents paid another girl $50,000 to not press charges against Ella when she attacked another girl at school with a field hockey stick over a guy she was dating. And I hope you have been using a rubber because she isn't on birth control since the end of September. So no I'm not helping. She's a wacko. I'm keeping the charges and not helping get her bail."

"What! You have the wrong girl. I've never seen her in therapy and she is on birth control. She told me." I repeated her name, age, date of birth and social security. Joe agreed it was her information and I said it was the same girl. He asked me how I found out and I was vague in my explanation.

Joe said he had to go confront Ella. He apologized to me again then hung up. He sounded seriously stressed.

Ranger smiled. "Proud of you Babe." I felt proud of myself too.

"I hope she isn't pregnant. Joe would have his hands fuller with her issues then he ever was with my life. I actually felt sorry for him." Ranger tried to hide his smile. He didn't feel the same.

Ranger ordered us dinner and we moved to the dinning room to finish working while we ate. I grabbed a throw blanket to cuddle with while I finished Ranger's files.

RPOV

When Babe's alarm went off I thought the worst. I ran out of my office to her apartment. I was relieved when I saw her standing near Hal. I was pleased to see she had her gun out too. I was a little surprised Steph wanted to rough Ella up but Babe has a bunch of hormones going on right now so it was to be expected. I'd have to make a note for my men not to let her hit anyone and safely intervene when necessary.

It was a small situation compared to her usual scares but I just needed to reassure myself she was fine. I wouldn't be able to focus if I was away from her today, so I ordered Tank to take my meeting and day to day responsibilities so I could catch up on paperwork and emails.

When I heard Morelli's message I was annoyed but being near Babe and touching her helped me simmer it. When I heard about Ella's issues I was thankful for the security in place and my actions afterward. I saw the guilt from Babe disappear too about having her arrested, but I hated that she felt bad for Joe. It's his own fault. He should have made sure she was on birth control and used a rubber or seen how desperate she was to be with him. She involved herself into his entire life quickly. I never even met Ella before today and I saw the flags just from other people's observations. I just shook my head.

I don't take many breaks when I'm working but Babe is in her own world. Music, celebrity magazines, Pinterest, on her phone texting and deleting messages. It was adorable. When Babe took the reviews off my hands that Tank printed out and placed in individual folders for each man employed including contract and part time workers, it took a big load off my plate this week. It takes most of my time reading through every detail on every man. When her notes I could just fill out improvements, training and decide who earned a salary increase with my comments while checking off boxes on each man so they could understand my expectations of them.

In January Tank, Les and I will meet with each employee and discuss their progress and goals. I find this method retains most of my employees and instills trust between us.

I also take Steph's notes seriously. She knows what I look for and although she hates the research desk and thinks it's boring, she is almost as good as Silvio. When Babe didn't stay on staff for Rangeman in the past I was disappointed. I wanted to be close to her but I also liked having a free man for patrol. I couldn't blame Babe for wanting to be on the streets like me, so Tank and I fill the position with whoever is on our shit list that week.

I checked my email and saw the Pardo's have been accepted for an interview tomorrow night at 9:30 pm. I told Babe the dress code for The Leather Riding Crop and explained how their was a locker room for us to shower and change if need be just as the email stated.

Babe rolled her eyes "Of course they accepted us. A female probably ran a background check on Marc Pardo and saw your picture automatically picking you... I have no idea what to wear to a sex club. I really don't own leather."

"I already have Ella picking out wardrobe that is sexy and upscale, not slutty or leather. She will have it for us tomorrow at breakfast." Babe smiled and returned to the reviews while I hit the back logs harder.

SPOV

I knew Ranger employed men of a diverse background, con artists, pick pockets, safe crackers, a Frenchmen who could scale tall buildings like Spider man but one guy in particular had gotten off several murders on a technicality. It states he was defending his sister against a gang but he killed people from behind while they were running away from him. I really didn't want to be in a room with him. His picture was scary enough but Ranger trusted in these men so I guess I should too.

I can't even imagine where he meets them. My strange friends like Mooner and Sally Sweet were FTA's. I had to hand it to him though he really did stack his staff with the best skills. He made sure they all received continuing education and training year after year in their specific fields. I was really impressed.

I got to my file in the stack and I paused. I really shouldn't read this one. I can't unread these notes inside and see what people think of me but I kinda had to know. I looked at Ranger and he was engrossed in his own work.

I reviewed my background check and he knew every detail about my life, personal, professional, medical, banking. I made notes on myself just like everyone else but gave a few more explanations for anything embarrassing that came up. Next to my birth control shot record I wrote "see I did take it" with a heart as a joke.

I moved on to my status, it said contract then my building access. No room was marked off limits to me except the gym locker room. Even Ranger's office I could get into with my fob I was shocked. I never knew that. I reviewed the notes from the cases I have done for Rangeman and both Tank and Ranger gave me high praise for my investigations and thought process, my professionalism, my ability to work with anyone, my keen eye and my ability to get people to talk to me.

It stated I'm best used for getting information from others naturally or as a good distraction and a pit bull when I want information. That was nice of Tank. It also said I like being social and Ella felt better having another woman in the building to look after and talk too.

I read my needs to improve section. Doesn't carry gun, doesn't always have her pepper spray or stun gun charged, needs self defense lessons and gun training. Would excel if she asked for help in lock picking and further training. Doesn't like to be pushed, likes options and making her own decision. Will not follow orders, needs better transportation, impulsive at times to the point of being reckless going into unknown situations. That one hurt but it was true. Guess that one was genetic. My biological mother was impulsive with me and ended up getting herself killed. I touched my stomach. I didn't want to be like that anymore. I didn't want anything to happen to me or the babies because of my own stupidity.

The bottom stated my passed jobs for Rangeman and what I could be used for in the future. Nothing was a real surprise to me. I knew all these things about myself. I made notes about the changes I have done in the last few months and closed the folder.

"Why didn't you come to me with this file?" Ranger looked up and raised his eyebrows at me surprised.

"You reviewed yourself?" I passed him the file and he read over my highlighted sections and notes.

"You weren't ready to hear my thoughts and you don't like to be told what to do. You had to come to it on your own not because I made you. I've tried that before, running with you was a disaster." He gave me a grin. Jerk. It was like 5 am.

"I want to work on my impulse control. It hasn't escaped me I'm like my biological mother. Ethan himself said she had the intuition, the instincts the impulsiveness. I don't want to end up the same way." Ranger squeezed my hand in support until we both returned back to our work. I didn't want to go to bed until I was done. I finished the last file at 1 am and looked up at Ranger still typing at his computer.

"I finished the notes on the Trenton employees, if you leave Miami for me tomorrow I can tackle them but it's late. I need sleep." Ranger looked at me and nodded. He closed his lid to the laptop and followed me. We left everything on the dining room table and went to bed together. Both of us fried from our long day.

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep in Ranger's arms I was hit with a thought. I sat up immediately and Ranger turned on the light raising an eyebrow in question.

"Violet. Her body was found one day before my .38 Special was stolen from my apartment. I saw the report from Tank. I went through my apartment today, not one other thing was missing. I had my purse and valuables all in sight for a criminal. They only took the gun... the gun I killed Jimmy Alpha with on my first case.

It has to be him. Anyone else would have stolen my valuables. I can't believe I didn't realize this before! I just thought one of Grandma's friends walked off with it because she had this big Halloween party and a lot of friends over the last few months." I jumped out of bed looking for Tank's report and the police report.

"Grandma came home from a viewing and noticed things were out of place and some of the clothes were thrown around. She checked out everything and nothing valuable was missing, she called Tank and he came over to check it out and felt someone was looking for something. He checked my cookie jar and noticed the gun gone and Grandma agreed so Constanza and Big Dog came out to make a report. They didn't check for DNA or fingerprints but Tank had someone come in and didn't find any. I want to ask all the neighbors if they saw anyone tomorrow. I might get lucky." I had a big smile on my face now.

I crawled back into Ranger's arms. He had a megawatt smile too. "Always a pleasure to see you in action Babe." We intertwined our legs and settle back into sleep. Finally my mind could rest.


	29. Chapter 29

RPOV

I got up at 5 am but I let Babe sleep in, she needed her full 8 hours and deserved it after tackling my paperwork yesterday and today. I went down to the gym to do a full workout then spar with Tank. Babe and I were gone so many months that I need to get up back to fighting shape in case I get called for a mission soon. Anytime it's a renewal year I get called on a few more missions then I normally would unless I have a signed contact to continue the next cycle.

Three hours later I return to the penthouse and ordered breakfast for us. I knew Babe was up because I could hear her puking and moaning in the bathroom. I rubbed her back and put her hair up with a clip. Her morning sickness comes and goes mostly smells set her off but occasionally she has a day like today.

Babe finished and brushed her mouth clean joining me in the shower. Today we will have a short on OB/GYN appointment before we can work.

"The babies are both the size of plum's this week and developed their organs and parts. Now they will start to grow a lot." Steph started chewing on her lip while she rinsed her hair. I pulled her closer to me. I could see the fear in her eyes.

"Your beautiful Babe. I can't wait to see you expand with our babies. The pregnant form for most men is a major turn on, your always glowing, your breasts are fuller" I lightly cupped both kissing and licking them. "I like knowing a part of me is always inside of you now." She moaned so I made slow love to her against the wall of our shower showing her just how much I wanted her. I realized early on if she moves too fast in the beginning of the day she gets sick so I kept it at a gentle pace giving her light kisses everywhere.

We ate breakfast and dressed. Babe hated going to the Doctor. It was like pulling teeth to get her out the door. I almost picked her up to just carry her to the car. I grabbed our papers from the Doctor in Greece and explained to our new Doctor when I made the appointment, for security purposes we couldn't use our real names in any paper work. He had other clients from Princeton with similar concerns so he understood and agreed to a false name in the file and billing. I added that name to Rangeman to cover for insurance purposes.

I made sure we were the first appointment today. I filled out all of Babe's paperwork too, she was so nervous she was going to get poked with a needle today she could barely hold her pen. I chuckled inside. This woman has faced killers and crazy stalkers without blinking but she is terrified of needles.

The nurse took us back and weighed Babe. She has gained six pounds and wasn't excited. The nurse told her it was healthy and normal. Babe got her favorite cup to pee in which also didn't thrill her either. Luckily she wore a dress today so she didn't have to wear a gown otherwise I may have had to stand in front of the door so she couldn't leave.

Doctor Dobbs came in and did pleasantries but he was no nonsense. He was more my kind of Doctor in temperament then Babe's but I explained to her before we arrived how he was the best in the area for multiples. He took Babe's blood pressure and it was still normal but on the higher side. He wanted to continue to monitor it and asked her to cut back working a little and on the amount stress. Babe just rolled her eyes and sighed. She explained her life a little and the Doctor was taken back, surprised her pressure wasn't higher then it was. He gave her pamphlets about reducing stress too and a stress ball while warning her certain levels would eventually place her on bed rest again. I thought she was going to nail him with the ball on his head, so I held my breathe. She had this look in her eyes I have never seen before then she started to squeeze the ball over and over.

Doctor Dobbs had to take some blood so Babe grew pale. I held her and tried to distract her but she was grouchy today. She cheered up a little when we saw the ultra sound and heard the hearts beats so the Doctor gave us more pictures and video. He told me he usually only listens to the heart beats at this appointment but he wanted to confirm things on his own and not just take our prior doctor's word on her findings. I found him thorough while Babe kept looking at the door to leave. I'd have to make several notes to Tank about these visits if he had to take her on any. Next time I need magazines and some kind of food possibly to mellow her out.

The Doctor gave us more literature and different exercises for Babe to maintain the appropriate weight. He explained to her the more she kept with her current workout routine the easier the labor and bounce back to her pre-pregnancy body would occur after the babies were born. It was adorable when he lectured her on kegel exercises to strengthen her pelvic floor. I've never seen her turn so red with blush. I asked a few routine questions and then we left.

From the Doctor's office we had to go to the Trenton PD to drop off our signed statements that Eddie left with the guard on duty last night. I parked in front and opened the door for Babe.

Some of the patrol guys said Hello and complimented her on how good she looked and how Miami had agreed with her. Babe just waived and smiled. She stopped to talk to Robin Russell awhile so I dropped off the envelope with our statements to the desk Sargent on duty.

I saw the doors open down the hall near Babe, a gang member in cuffs and leg irons walked in with Alejandro. Tank had mentioned to me he had called him regarding odd jobs for Vinnie but I didn't know he was still in town. The gang member made kissy faces at Babe and Robin and offered them a ride on his magic stick. Alejandro discreetly gave him a kidney hit from behind and told him to learn some manners. The gang member sunk a little in place. Babe turned around and the gang member paled at her. He apologized profusely then looked further and saw me glaring at him. He tried to walk back out the door in the opposite direction but Alejandro dragged him forward.

"Good to see you brother." I just nodded.

The gang member stuttered. "I'm sorry Ranger. I didn't recognize your woman from behind. I'm really sorry."

I go close to him so only he could hear me. "Next time, I cut your tongue out." I could smell the piss draining from him. Fear good. I stepped back to let him get processed. I couldn't be soft on Stark street gangs. If I showed weakness they'd mess with Steph.

First day back in town, Hector and a few others Rangeman that had street contacts spread the word if anyone touched Steph or bothered her it was their lives. Threatening him was a reminder to his gang. Babe was my life, my woman and the mother of my children. To everyone else I'm a cold blooded killer, to her I'm her lover, friend, mentor and support. I intended to keep it that way no matter the blood I had to spill to maintain her safety.

Alejandro had a big smile on his face and checked out Babe so I glared at him too. He knew I never claimed anyone as my woman so she must be something. Babe came over and walked right up to him. No fear.

"You must be Alejandro, Connie and Lula told me about you. Stephanie Plum." She shook his hand then he looked at me sideways.

"Your woman's The Bombshell Bounty Hunter?" I nodded. His smile grew. She traded pleasantries, asked how he liked it. He explained it was fine as a part time gig but he mostly did high bonds and Vinnie was doing low bonds until they could replace her. He talked to her about her impressive capture rate and what she was doing now. She gave him a business card as a contact and we left.

I've offered Alejandro a job in the past due to his skills in the Marine's but he declined. He only works when he wants to and occasionally takes on contract work in the private sector. He would make a good bodyguard for Babe, I may have to approach him again with an offer. Babe didn't say anything but I could tell she was less then thrilled with Bones yesterday.

SPOV

Robin was catching up with me and talked to me about my outfit and tan. She asked me about my time in Miami and my favorite spots. When that gang member hit on me and apologized, I knew right away he must have seen Ranger. Alejandro was everything Connie said looks, charm, style. I hope he stuck around a while since Connie has a huge crush on him. Ever since her divorce she hasn't dated often like Lula and they would make a cute couple. Ranger and I started heading towards the door after our conversation ended.

"Hey Dollface" I turned around to see the Royce smiling at me. "Heard you smacked a bitch." Royce checked me out in my pea coat and high heels then smirked. Ranger put his arm around my waist and gave him a hard look.

"Did you learn that slang on the farm?" I background checked both Feds this morning since they knew so much about me, it was only fair. Royce was originally from Iowa.

"No MTV. I was a big fan of Sir Mix-A -Lot. It was like "Footloose" growing up except I just wanted to Rap." He did some kind of hand thing. I gave him a big smile. He was as white as me. I still needed Lula to decipher the Rap songs she played in her Fire bird. "_So you like big butts and you can not lie_... do you have something I would be more interested in?"

"Let's go outside." Royce walked with us to our car. "Violet's death was from from a plant, a perennial called Doll's Eye or White Baneberry. It's a spring flower found in all of the state's the victims were from except Florida. It's grown naturally in woodlands and the pea size berries resemble doll's eyes but are very toxic. If ingested they have a sweet taste but a carcinogenic toxin is released causing an almost immediate sedative effect on cardiac muscles leading to death. Most of the time kids eat them by mistake while playing outside not adults." Weird.

"Anything else for me?" He just shook his head. "I got your text about your gun though I think it fits. He probably likes collecting things of yours, keep an eye out for that, eventually he will want to meet you if he hasn't already."

"Counting on it, unfortunately for him he will have to get through my bodyguards first."

"Yeah I read the report. The tackle was a nice touch. I went down to the jail myself to get a peak at her, keep your distance. She is playing Morelli like a fiddle with her routine. Don't listen to the gossip either. Keep your head up, haters be hating." I laughed at him.

"You should stick to being a boy scout and leave the street talk on the street. It's coming off very Vanilla Ice." He played as if he was wounded by my words then smiled and walked back inside the Trenton PD." Ranger and I got into his Turbo. He grabbed my hand and placed it on his thigh.

"Should I be jealous?" I looked at him and I could tell by the crinkle around his eyes he was mostly kidding.

"Never. We both dislike Rex and some of the other key players creating a friendship. I'm yours as much as your mine. However I ask you to remember this moment because I may say the same thing one day about one of the legions of women that flirt constantly with you."

"I don't share Babe and I know you don't either." He kissed my hand and continued to hold it as we drove back to Rangeman to finally start our day.

"Zero was suppose to guard you but he thinks he's coming down with the flu so Slick is on stand by."

"That's pretty sweet of you ordering your men to stay away from me. I'm a beast when I'm sick." I gave him a cheeky grin. I've never seen Ranger sick but I bet he is no better then me. I kissed Ranger as we parted. He moved onto his office on the fifth floor and I moved up to the penthouse to do a little research.

Since Ranger and I were going to the club tonight, especially the second floor, I had to see how submissive's acted. Thankfully Google had several basic how to websites. Pretty much I can't talk or look at Ranger unless he tells me so and I have to say sir, master or Mr. Pardo.

Master was a hell no so I think Sir. It says people in this kind of arrangement usually wear a collar. I saw pictures explaining different ones. The dog looking ones were not happening and then I saw the more modern interpretations most people did today. Some were nice pieces of jewelry, chokers, others were chain necklaces or diamond necklaces. It was just a symbol between yourself and the dominant that you were spoken for. Simple.

I looked at a few sites on simple BDSM and I found some elements ok, even willing to try a few with Ranger. Tying up, hand cuffs, even a mask to cover my eyes but I was not being gagged. I looked over different toys. I've seen most before in the Pleasure Treasures and I read _50 Shades_ at one point but I didn't want anything painful. Nipple clamps looked painful.

I kept reminding myself Ranger and I could just make out in a corner and not even participate. If worst came to worst we could find a private room to pretend then go home. I felt a little more confident after my research so I ran a full background on Maggie Austin, the art consultant from Pennsylvania. While I let that run I decided to finish my Christmas shopping. I checked that my payment for Ranger's new Porsche cleared. I saw the receipt in my email so I texted Tank the delivery date and time in two weeks. He agreed to receive it.

I decided since Val was pregnant with a hoard of kids in tow she needed to relax so I found a serenity spa and paid for a day of pampering just for her. They even let me buy the gift card online, so I should receive it by next week in the mail. I jumped on Babies R Us for a gift card for the new baby as well.

Kloughn was difficult so I kept thinking about him and his needs. Lisa was easy. I noticed how much she loves Hippos, she has a few stuffed ones she never goes anywhere without, so I purchased a gift card to Toy's R Us with a big Hippo the size of her.

I know Val's on a tight budget, in the past her ex Steve use to make a lot of money for them so she could buy the best of everything. Albert although sweet and loves Val to death isn't the best lawyer and doesn't get many clients. I know secretly he lets people think he represents me in my legal matters from all my fires, attacks and stalkers but I've had no need for a lawyer until recently and that's Douglas. That misconception though puts food on his table and a roof over there heads so I don't mind. Kloughn needs to support his family since Val rarely worked a real job in her entire life for more then a few months.

My parents are another story. Yeah they raised me but I just feel so much anger inside of me still. I've decided not to attend Christmas even if we speak before that. I don't want to ruin Grandma or Valerie's time during a happy holiday so I intended to see them a day before and leave them their gifts. After much internal debate I decided just to send a fruit and gift basket to my parents from Harry and David. It would be delivered the day before Christmas. It had fruit, cookies, candies and items she could place on the holiday table for decor, something they would both like. I had the card say Merry Christmas Stephanie and Ranger. Not the most heartfelt but it was all I could muster.

I Googled gifts for adventure seekers and I came upon a site for a spy school just outside of New York City. This business offered different classes but one was in basic tools of the trade for a weekend. During the day it was set up like a classroom then at night you would learn to shot or repel from a wall among other things. It was just a fun adventure weekend for civilians with instructors who had government field experience. That had Kloughn written all over it.

He once tried to bounty hunt with me but it ended in disaster. This would be something he could do in a safe setting that would fill his need for adventure. I paid for the gift certificate and had it mailed to me. Lula was easy I purchased a large gift card to her favorite store the Pleasure Treasures and Connie would received a gift card to Amazon to purchase more romance novels. I noticed her stack was low again a few days ago.

For Mary Lou I got her a spa weekend in Princeton. She is always on the move and is really helping me with my insecurity about my pregnancy as well as my family drama so I wanted her to have something special for herself in return. For Dillon I was going to pick him up a few cases of beer and throw a bow on top with some chips.

All I had left was Tank, Ella and Louis. Ranger already told me he would sign both of our names on those gifts but I wanted to get them something special from me as well. When Ella brought our breakfast up, she forgot our wardrobe in her apartment for tonight so I offered to come down with her. Her apartment was the same lay out as Ranger's except a lot warmer with richer colors. It was beautiful.

I noticed she had a lot of cooking appliances and cook books with nice luggage for her upcoming trip. I decided to get them a gift card for Macy's to buy clothes for their adventure. Tank was the hardest. I knew very little about him, cats army and cars. I was thinking about him and his cats. He loved them deeply as his own children. He showed me pictures all the time like a proud parent.

I think Tank has them because he doesn't really have a woman in his life. He is a big guy and that can me intimidating. I looked up dating services. Tank works a lot so online dating wouldn't be for him and he would never speed date. I found a woman in Princeton who works as a match maker and her site said she was rated the best. I decided to run a check on her and the business. I was curious to see if the stories she featured on her site were real before I purchased her services for Tank.

I could just imagine what I would write in his card already. "This certificate will help you deplete those rubbers I bought you before." Hopefully he will take it in a friendly gesture but I will have Ranger next to me just in case.

Maggie Austin's report pinged. I remember she was more like Ranger in every way then me but the killer kept her longer then any of the other women by two months. Maggie was reported missing the fastest only 48 hours by her boss. She had a long list of ex boyfriends but nothing more then a few months she dated them. She currently wasn't dating anyone either.

Maggie lived alone in a secure building with cameras and a guard at the desk. She was successful according to her bank accounts. I tracked down her boss and the apartment building's number to speak to a guard. Her boss didn't answer his phone so I left a message to call me back with my information. I called her old building and the guard on duty didn't know her but took my information and said he would ask the other employees then call me back.

I felt like I was hitting a dead end. I researched family and friends of Maggie but she was estranged from her parents for over six years. Maggie seemed like a workaholic. According to her credit card she traveled a lot for work and her cause of death was an over dose of sleeping pills. Strange. Her medical records only listed prescription for antibiotics in the past, birth control and a vitamin. According to the records her items in her apartment were donated to Goodwill and her family only took the money from her accounts and her car. I would have liked to go through her home to see if she left any clues like Violet. I decided to take a chance and call her parents.

They were very nasty on the phone to me. They didn't believe I was Maggie's friend either. Her mother said she only had male friends not female ones and felt I was a cop so she hung up on me. I looked up Maggie's last boyfriend and called his number. Lazaro London.

"Hello."

"Mr. London my name is Stephanie and I was a friend of Maggie's. Can we talk for a moment?"

"Sure. She died though is this about that?"

"Yes she mentioned you were her last boyfriend to me, did she mention anyone bothering her or anything unusual to you?"

"No you know Maggie. She was strong and independent, if she had an issue she handled it herself. It was one of the reasons we broke up, she wasn't emotionally available and didn't want children anytime soon. I'm 35 my time is running out. We parted amicably as I told that Fed with the stick up his butt."

"Rex."

"Yeah him. He interrogated me for hours about nothing important, her routine, her business, her habits. Honestly Maggie didn't like people in her life. When we dated we hung out at restaurants or art shows since I'm an artist but we usually had sex at my place. She didn't like people in her space. We only dated 3 months."

I had Maggie's credit card records from that day so I knew her routine already. I thanked him and left my number to call if he thought of anything. In a way Maggie sounded like me, I like handling my own issues and I liked being independent. With Morelli I wasn't looking for kids and I understood the need for a space. I guess it depends on the person your with though, I didn't feel that way with Ranger. We could co exist separately or together and still be in a relationship.

The match maker's background and success stories all looked legit. She matched up many couples who ended up getting married and was paid well for it. I printed out all the information I found for Tank and then paid for Emmaline Mast's services online. Her fee was steep but she had a money back guarantee and I saw in the last year she only had one refund out of hundreds. With Christmas shopping out of the way, I started working on the files for Rangeman Miami reviews. I needed a break from my case to let my mind rest.

I didn't know anything about the Miami men so I was highly curious. At first I thought these backgrounds were really intrusive but over time I enjoyed reading them. Some were often funny and made my day. Eventually Ranger and I continued to work while eating dinner together, allowing us free time for the club.

At 7:30 I jumped into the shower and shaved and exfoliated every inch of my body. I rubbed my body with mango lotion, plucked my brows and put on my makeup. I decided on a smokey eye to go with my sexy navy colored Halter and lace Chiffon Dress. It was classic and sexy. The front made a nice v that showed my cleavage without spilling out and was accessorized with a simple black belt and black peep toe shoes.

I curled my hair to make it more put together and strapped my holster to my thigh. The chiffon material of the skirt hid it well. I needed to wear some kind of necklace to represent my collar so I picked a simple Tiffany chain knock off I bought from a back of a trunk on Stark last year. I put on a little Dolce Vita perfume then went to look for Ranger.

He was just putting on his tailored black suit with black shirt. No tie. Ranger's eyes grew darker when he saw me. He walked slowly towards assessing his prey.

He whispered in my ear "Tonight I thought we could have a little fun while we investigate." He pulled some balls attached to a string from his pocket with a small bottle of lube.

"You can remove this anytime but these Ben Wa balls will help strengthen your pelvic floor while increasing your arousal. You will have stronger orgasms when I remove them, they might give you a little stimulation while you walk too." Ranger was looking sexy, whispering and touching me. I could barely think.

"It won't hurt and I can remove them anytime?" Ranger nodded. I gave him a slight nod and he kissed my neck. I felt him lift my skirt and tease me with his fingers. Eventually I felt the balls slip inside of me and it didn't hurt. He fixed my underwear and gave me one last kiss then licked his fingers clean.

His smile could have lit all of Trenton. "Let's go."

I was really turned on right now and didn't feel like going anymore. Ranger just took my hand and we started walking towards the door. I could feel the balls moving around inside me. It felt kinda good in a weird way.

Ranger got us into the Cayenne and drove us to The Leather Riding Crop for our 9:30 interview. I checked and fixed my make up in the car mirror while Ranger got into his zone listening to classical music on the drive. His hand was on my thigh. He kept drawing little circles with his finger tips that I found soothing my nerves.

We stopped at the gate and gave our Pardo names being granted access. The lot was upscale with many different expensive cars. All different makes and models, some modern, others classic. We exited the car hand in hand and made our way to the door. I noticed a card reader and pin pad with cameras everywhere near the doors and the parking lot. We gave our names again and a large man the size of Tank escorted us to an office near the door.

I noticed large double doors further down that were carved with different trees and animals in the wood but couldn't see inside them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pardo, Veronica Swift please take a seat. Refreshments?" We both declined. "Before we begin we take confidentiality and security seriously, yours and ours. I need you to review this NDA before we begin. We read it over and both signed our Pardo names.

"Excellent. I see Marc you own your own business, how do you know Candy exactly?" I spoke up.

"Candy and I are old friends from college, I mentioned about experimenting with my husband to her. We have tried things at home together but Candy felt this would be a good step for us to keep our marriage fresh and fun."

"And your interests I see are more towards the basics while your husband has more of a broad background that he would like to explore with you." She asked more questions to verify our background and application then checked our STD results.

"Well I'd like to take you on a tour and then you two can play. New members get a reserved private room with items you listed on your application as a thank you for going through our extensive process but before we proceed the rules.

The first floor has a bar and dance floor, open play areas and private ones. Their are no cameras or listening devices anywhere inside this building, cell phones and valuables go into your locker in our locker room facilities. Locker rooms are on each floor. If you are found recording or have a camera it will be destroyed.

Showers are available as well. Private and group. Before you enter a room each door has a sign to designate what that rooms entails. We have a towel service and cleaning staff in every section in every area. When a room is in service you are able to lock yourself's inside for privacy. The private rooms are sound proof. After use, all the sheets and protection on the mattresses are removed and thrown away as well as cleaned with bleach.

All toys are thrown out after use for hygiene. The trash cans you will see in all of the rooms and throughout the club. Costumes and equipment are thoroughly cleaned as well. You will smell citrus and lemon through out. The cleaning service as well as all employees have signed NDA's and are vetted.

After any area is done being used our crews clean up immediately placing a red square on that door to show it's being cleaned. Employees of the club can not engaged with members in any playing only instruction at public demonstrations we sometimes hold. If you try to involve an employee you will be removed by our security. In every section you will see costumes and toy bars that are self serve. Everything is still in their packaging and brand new. You are welcome to take as many or little as you like for play."

"House rules state no frontal nudity on the dance floor or bar area and you must have a safe word. What are yours?"

"Tastykake" I said.

"Black" Ranger said. We both smiled at each other.

She pulled out a tray of different bracelets. "We use a color system. Black means your in a relationship only with each other." Ranger and I both took the black. "Green means your open to a male joining you, pink open to a female joining you, blue means both genders and orange another couple. You may add to your current bracelet at anytime. Couples wear all the colors or some only wear the black. Since you both only opted for black other members will not approach you in play areas. You may just social at the bar or dance floor. If you feel your needs change areas through out have our color system and you can add bracelets. Not respecting the bracelet system or bothering other members will revoke your membership." She stood from her chair.

"The floors I will show you on the tour. Any questions?" We both shook our heads and held hands.

We entered the double doors and it looked like an upscale night club. People were dressed like us in upscale cocktail dresses and suits.

"The bar is open to all members but we frown upon over indulgence, it's a two strike policy. Over there is the dance floor." It was playing what I would call bedroom pop music. Everyone looked normal. People were kissing and socializing I felt ok so far. Ranger continued to hold my hand with his blank face in place.

"Over in this area is an open play were members can indulge in different rooms. Threesomes, orgies, etc." I looked through the clear glass and saw some people going at it a little. I kept looking ahead down the hall.

"Over here are the private rooms for that, as well as the locker room and shower facilities." Everything seemed very clean so far but for what you were paying to be a member it should be. Hell this place should be made out of gold with the amount of people here. "Over in this section is the one way mirrors and two way mirrors. You can watch a couple in these seats or have them watch you. Open and private play here as well." I looked at the area. A couple was really going at it being crazy flexible, for some reason I couldn't look away. I've seen porn before, Vinnie plays it all the time at the bonds office but not live people doing it in front of me.

Ranger wrapped his hand around my back and glided me on. He kissed my head then lips. Their was a role playing section and a costume section with everything imaginable then a private wing of rooms for people to make reservations.

Our reservation would be down the hall after our tour. We moved onto the second floor, the BDSM and fetish floor. It had a bar and dance floor then open play and private play rooms just like down stairs. They also had different self service bars of leather clothes and toys. Some people looked normal, some in leather but most of the woman and a few men wore collars. I saw dominant's in action and it wasn't my thing. Ranger held me tighter, he could feel my discomfort.

I saw people getting spanked and different public demonstrations, some how-to sections to learn new skills from a staff member's instruction. The rooms here looked more like dungeons with crosses then the club scene downstairs. The chains hanging from the ceilings in some rooms made me afraid. I saw a couple of stripper poles on both floors but I felt like _Alice in Wonderland_ exploring this crazy world looking for the rabbit hole to escape.

"The third floor is for more extreme tastes. Your profile didn't include them but I can show you or lead you back to the bar on this floor."

Ranger spoke up "The bar" She nodded and wished us well.

"Show time Babe." He squeezed my hand and I looked towards the floor to get into character.

"Yes Sir!" Ranger's lips twitched in amusement.

Ranger walked me over to the bar and sat in a chair. "Sit on my lap." I sat on his lap. "Kiss my neck slowly." I wanted to roll my eyes, he was putting on a show for the bartender. I started kissing his neck and using my tongue as pay back. Ranger was using a sexy firm voice with me that made me wet.

"What can I get for you Sir."

"A beer on tap and a dirty Shirley for my woman... I had a friend Violet who recommended a bartender here that makes it perfect."

"Yes Sir, Esmeralda, down the bar further, I'll have her prepare it." Ranger placed his hand under my chin turning my head to meet his lips. I could feel his erection under me so I wiggled a little.

He whispered in my ear "Your being bad Babe, I may have to spank you a little to behave." He kissed me again but I was in shock. I'm not the spanking type, I'm hoping he was joking especially since I just saw someone getting paddled on their bottom not even five minutes ago. It looked painful but the girl was smiling. Weird to me that for sure.

We felt the bartender come over.

Ranger spoke up again and gave her his dreamy smile that blinds women. "Thank you Esmeralda, Violet told me it's the best, my wife was very upset due to her passing." She looked sad.

"She was a good person I'll miss her." She tried to walk away but Ranger stopped her.

"It's none of our business but did she mention anyone giving her a hard time. Any problems. She mentioned to my wife an admirer before she disappeared."

"Were not suppose to discuss other members" she looked around and started platting up nuts for us. "But she told me she had an admirer she didn't know who but not from here. She was hoping to fall in love again. She mostly did open play with the men here on this floor but none of them really knew her."

"Did she describe anything about this admirer any clues?"

She thought about it for a bit then placed our nuts in front of us. "She told me the week before she went missing she felt him that day or someone watching her, she was excited. She had just come out of Starbucks I remember because she tried this new drink I recommended to her. She felt she would meet him soon, she showed me a love letter and I thought it was sweet. If I had to put money on who killed her, it would be her ex husband he had the most to gain, he was a bastard here when he wanted to be."

She nodded a goodbye and left. Ranger sipped his beer but I couldn't drink in my condition. I went for a nut and someone came to sit near us.

"Your new to the lifestyle I can see. Your dominant didn't command you to eat, that's a punishment." I looked into Ranger's eyes then down quickly. I forgot where I was. Damn.

"My wife is new, first time." The man discussed light punishment techniques with Ranger and after a few minutes Ranger commanded me to stand. We walked out of the room and down the stairs.

"Crap, sorry. I forgot for a second where I was." Ranger just smiled and gave me a light spank on my butt. I almost came. The balls inside me hit my g-spot and I moaned. Ranger's eyes darkened a little.

"I was so close." I started to blush from the sensation. Ranger pulled me close to him and I could feel his cock pulsing through his pants. I never liked spanking ever but that tap mixed with these balls felt very good.

"Let's go to our private room, kill some time, throw off suspicion." Ranger nipped my ear and started kissing my neck leading me to that hall.


	30. Chapter 30

SPOV

I woke up in my bed at Rangeman and noticed it was almost 10:30 am. I closed my eyes and started to relive last night. Ranger and I were all over each other when we got to our private room. He locked us inside and checked for bugs and cameras with his scanner but the room was clean. He forced a chair against the door knob for extra protection and kept his weapons close to his side at all times.

The room was unexpected. It looked like a high end hotel room, expensive, luxurious with a canopy bed in the center and a table lined up with sex toys. I noticed a sink area with towels, soap and a jar full of condoms. I was a little taken back by the sex swing in the corner but it didn't look crazy uncomfortable, kinda like an adult swing set with straps to hold you in place.

I sat on a weird looking chaise lounge with curves that Ranger called a Tantra chair. He started kissing me again against this chair making me lose all thoughts of the world around me as well as my inhibitions. We pulled our clothes off each other in a frenzy then Ranger removed the Ben Wa balls. He teased and licked me, then positioned me in the curve of this chair entering me from on top then sideways.

Eventually he flipped our positions again allowing me to ride him. The furniture was versatile so Ranger showed me another position where we both faced each other while laying on the curves of the chair allowing us to thrust towards each other for a more power climax.

It amazed me how deep inside of me he was, the angles of the furniture allowed him to hit the perfect spot each time. I couldn't stop begging him to fuck me harder I blush about the thought now. Eventually Ranger was warmed up because he moved a few free standing mirrors near the bed and entered me while I was on all fours from behind. Commanding me in a sexy voice to keep my eyes open and watch our bodies move together. The heat in his eyes melted me inside, it was intense and erotic to see how much he wanted me.

After multiple sessions on the sheets Ranger got off the bed and grabbed the toys from the table reminding me at anytime I could say stop. I felt very good so far from my orgasms so I didn't protest. Ranger had me go back on my hands and knees then placed a fabric low on my stomach that felt like it had some padding to protect me. He called it a doggie style sex strap, although the name leaves a lot to be desired the function did not. The piece of fabric went around my stomach while he held the open ends in each of his hands then entered me from behind and fucked me like I have never been fucked before. It was powerful and intense how fast he moved with the help of the strap. I became hoarse from screaming it was so good. I made him roll up the strap afterwards and put it in his pants pocket to take home with us. I was not leaving this room without it. Ranger just had on a Cheshire Cat smile the entire time he used something new with me.

We both experimented with different lubes, some flavored, some warming and a few massage oils then eventually he had me test out a vibrating ring around his cock for me to ride. Since I liked the other strap so much he tried out a sling shot strap on my legs to keep them open while he stimulated my folds with a riding crop and his mouth. Once I was really relaxed he picked me up off the bed and put me into the sex swing allow himself full mobility to plow in and out of me. It was definitely memorable, if I wasn't pregnant already last night would have done it.

Their were a few things left on the table at the end of the night we didn't use but it wasn't from a lack of trying. We were both physically exhausted after the swing and realized our hour of playing turned into four. It didn't feel that long.

Ranger and I both used the sink in the room to clean up and the towels to wipe our bodies down before redressing. After we left the room I couldn't look at the cleaning staff in the eyes. I didn't feel shame for what we did together but I felt bad that the room smelled like sex and was messy even though I tried to clean up as best as I could. My legs were wobbly from my doomsday orgasms and Ranger wasn't much better so we assisted each other to the Porsche. As soon as I hit that leather seat I was out like a light, waking up here.

Before my experience I didn't see the reason why someone would want to go to a sex club at first but it was fun with Ranger. I know I grew up sheltered, never in my wildest dreams did I expect to be caught in a place like that but I more then enjoyed it. I don't feel any guilt or shame like I thought I would. Ranger and I agreed last night in the room that this was something we wanted to explore together in the future but in the privacy of the penthouse not here. Ranger felt he couldn't let his guard down at the club and I was worried someone would walk in eventually catching us because I was so loud. I usually shied away from things like this when Lula would talk about it or Joe wanted to experiment, honestly I was kind of a prude but I had no fear with Ranger. I knew if I said no he would stop immediately and he would never brag to anyone what we did together. Even if Ranger and I broke up one day I knew he wouldn't tell anyone out of spite and that made me feel safe with him.

With Joe, sometimes he took no as a way he should try harder or a different tactic. I would have never allowed him to do a quarter of what Ranger did to me last night for fear he might tell someone. I wouldn't even let him handcuff me when he use to ask, I'd always flash back to when he handcuffed me to my shower rail and abandoned me. That should have been a clue to myself.

I finished showering then made myself a grilled cheese, one of the few things I know how to make with a side of Ella's fruit salad with peanut butter and black olives. I reviewed what Esmeralda had revealed to me last night. I needed to look at those cameras I decided. I got dressed in warm clothes and boots with a heavy scarf and made my way down to the garage to drive to Princeton. I checked Violet's time of purchase that day she got her coffee on her credit card statement and marked other dates and times she was there that week, just in case the bartender was mistaken.

I looked at the shiny black Porsche. It was way to expensive to keep using. I seriously needed to buy my own car today. I've debated with myself over purchasing another Honda CRV since I have drove three in the past or getting something else. They are great cars but Grandma Mazur made a good point the other day that Big Blue is a Buick and a tank. It's lasted since the 1950's so maybe I should get a Buick SUV instead, if it doesn't work out I can always get a Honda later.

Slick introduced himself to me in the garage and we jumped into the car together. I checked myself in my mirror a few times and I had this stupid smile that wouldn't go away. I looked crazy. I texted Ranger to let him know and he sent me back his customary Babe. That Babe meant he had one too, only on the inside.

Slick and I parked on the main street, he helped me locate all the cameras in a two block radius, including the parking lots around the Starbucks. We walked up and down in the cold and I took notes on all the camera locations. We could only find four so we went back to those four businesses.

"We may have to flirt or bribe people for copies of their tapes that cool with you?"

"They don't call me Slick for nothing."

We started with the Starbucks first since we knew Violet went there often. I talked to the manager but she wouldn't budge. Eventually Slick took off his jacket and flexed his muscles a little and leaned against the counter close to this woman giving her what I would call "the eyes." After twenty minutes of me sitting at a table near by watching him flirt while eating a blueberry muffin he talked her into getting a copy of there interior and exterior cameras for the last 6 months. As a thank you I bought him a drink and a sandwich which I swear he ate in two bites.

Slick and I moved on to the next camera at the electronic's store but they only kept videos on their servers for 30 days then it erases. We moved onto a local bank that had exterior cameras on the building, several in fact. I pulled my shirt down pretty far so you could see my boobs in my sweater and flirted with the bank manager even though he wasn't very attractive, he was a hard ass. We tried explaining our situation but he didn't care. Eventually Slick turned from an easy going guy with me into a scary bad ass in a blink of an eye making himself larger and more threatening. He intimated the manager and got us the dvd's for the week in question as well as the two months prior to Violet being taken.

The last camera was from a restaurant but it was out of order for months. They currently used it more as a deterrent then actual security. I gave them Rangeman's card for the future. Slick and I walked the area some more looking for other cameras and marking on my legal pad good places to hide to watch someone. I specially wanted to check the dvd's for these spots. Slick spoke up.

"It's kinda weird you took notes on where you would hide to stalk someone. Brilliant but weird. Did you pick that up as a bounty hunter?"

"Yes and no. I have hid out while waiting for a skip but I've been stalked so many times I tend to notice the hiding spots everywhere around me because I'm afraid someone will jump out at me. I read once more women are stalkers then men but more women stalk at night while men mostly by day. Either way a stalker hates to be ignored making them eventually lash out.

In my experience, their are three types of stalkers too. One relationship ones, a break up causes it. Two obsessional ones, they stalk because of fear or loss they have experienced and the third which happens to me most often, the delusional stalking. I believe the killer is a mixture of obsessive and delusional. I believe he took my .38 special because he likes to collect items to feel close to me and you know he is delusional because he is turning woman into me and killing them."

"You don't seem scared. You actually seem pretty calm." I looked at him in his eyes.

"He isn't terrorizing me currently. When he decides to focus on me then I'll be scared."

"Rangeman wouldn't let that happen, not because we fear Ranger most of us actually like you a lot."

I smiled at him. "Thank you. Woody said something similar to me, I'm glad to know. Most of you have never talked to me in three years it was hard to tell."

"That's because we fear Ranger some but people are afraid if we upset you, you will tell him too."

"I'm not like that. Hell I'm usually encouraging you guys to eat with me and talk, breaking the rules."

"I know but most of the guys never spent anytime with you. I wasn't sure what to expect myself but I've enjoyed this assignment. I feel like Sherlock Holmes except I'm missing my hat, magnifying glass and cool lab. We should work on getting those things soon." We had a good laugh about finding a secret liar for me.

Slick and I decided to move onto car shopping. There were several car dealerships in Lawrenceville, all in a row on Route one to check out. I wanted to start at the Buick dealership then work my way down till I found something. The Buick Encore was tiny for me and two kids, so I test drove the LaCrosse and the Enclave. I preferred the Enclave because it had so much more space.

The car salesman told me about the heated seats, the remote start up, the five star safety rating along with the collision alert. I was pretty much sold. It was going to be the most I ever spent on a car for myself but I really liked it.

I walked the entire lot and found an Enclave in dark blue with leather seats. It was pre-owned but still new this year and only had a few miles on it. The dealer told me someone had leased it then changed their mind after a month and returned it. Being pre-owned but practically new, Slick and I negotiated. I explained I was paying by check not financing so I got an even better deal.

I filled out the paperwork in the office and I even got full car insurance, something I haven't had in two years since the car was registered to Black Enterprises instead of me directly. Slick called Rangeman for the vehicle change then had someone pick up Ranger's Cayenne. Slick insisted he install the new tracker underneath the Buick before we left the dealership in case the car was stolen we could get it back. He had a good point. Morelli kept calling my work cell so I finally picked up.

"Yo."

"I just thought you'd like to know your boyfriend's stepping out on you already." I tensed and held my breath. I didn't think Ranger had but I received similar calls about Dickie before they are never fun to hear. Old habits die hard.

"Last night Ranger's car was seen exciting a sex club on our surveillance. I just don't want to see you get hurt or catch anything, your pregnant and I care about you." I let my breathe go.

"I know it's for the case."

"It took Ranger four hours to investigate in a sex club? Your not that dumb Cupcake."

"I was with Ranger Morelli. Stay out of our business." Well mostly worked but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"I want us to be friends Joe but your hurt and angry right now, you need to deal with that and Ella. Did you find out if she is pregnant?"

"We didn't use a lot of protection this month so Ella doesn't know. She said she loved me and wanted my baby. I don't know what to do if I find out next month she is. I was raised to marry a girl if you got her pregnant but I don't think I could with her issues. I don't know what to do Steph. Will you come by my house for some pizza so we can talk?" Joe doesn't talk... he eats pizza, watches TV, has sex and yells.

"We're talking right now Joe, location doesn't matter, you have my cell. Things won't change between us. I love Ranger. I need you to accept that eventually." I could hear Morelli breathing heavy.

"You use to love me too, what happened? It didn't it just go away. You don't just stop loving someone! And Ranger took you to a sex club for 4 hours in your condition! Are you freaking kidding me! You barely let me go pass doggie and that was only after..."

I took a deep breathe and heard Ranger's word in my head about our unhealthy pattern together so I reigned in my anger that was about to turn into yelling. "Joe I can't talk to you when your like this, it's not good for my condition and it's not good for our friendship. If you need to vent about Ella I'm your ear, if this is about Ranger then I won't participate." I hung up on him so he could cool down. He called back immediately so I sent it to voice mail. I didn't need his shit today.

"I've barely been back a week and I already need a vacation." I rested a few minutes in my new leather seats breathing in that new car smell.

Slick decided we needed some Chinese takeout to refocus our day so he made the call on our way back to Rangeman. Slick decided to watch the dvd's in the conference room Ranger had set up for this case aka the War Room. You can tell Ranger named it. I didn't care where we worked either way it was a major step up from my dinning room table at my old apartment.

Slick and I started with the interior camera's of Starbucks looking for Violet on the day Esmeralda told me about. Violet got her coffee but she didn't look around inside at all. We checked other dates on the dvds based on the times of her credit card transactions but no one was actively watching her inside.

Slick and I switched to the outside camera's and I saw her look around with a smile on the day in question. I wrote it down then checked the other dvds. The bank exterior had one angle that caught a glimpse of a man with a baseball cap and sunglasses just on the edge of the screen near the far end of the cheese shop. It was one of the spots I wrote down as a good hiding place. I remember Ranger telling me in Greece when you stalk someone sunglasses or hat never both because it makes your stalking obvious. I didn't get it at first when he told me but seeing it on film, Ranger was right. This guy was odd.

He is smart too. He knew where the cameras were to avoid them. I couldn't find a clear picture of his face or body anywhere on film. I marked the DVD and Slick copied the image for me to enlarge it. I started watching each dvd again looking for him or Violet, marking down times and dates of anything suspicious or the killer's possible route he could have taken to get back to his car.

Starbucks was worthless but the bank exterior cameras caught a man with sunglasses and a hat several times over the month before Violet was taken in the same spot each time. I could tell he was a white male with dark hair brown or black but his body was covered in layers.

Slick spoke up "I've been thinking about what you said about stalkers, if your the obsession then you could also be the trigger. If he read about you once then he follows you in the news, maybe you should run a newspaper search on yourself and print out any articles that mention you then match those to the victim's time line. It might not work but maybe you pick something out everyone else missed."

I started running the search on my laptop while Slick continued to play with the image. We continued to eat our Chinese and talk sports while listening to some internet radio to fill our silent moments.

"Tell me... are you good at breaking into cars? Or hot wiring?" He nodded. Excellent. Bad Stephanie was mentally stroking Rex the wonder hamster on her lap with a big smile. Maybe Slick could help me screw over Cat Woman when our paths crossed again. I want to be prepared this time instead of calling Ranger for help.

"Between us how do I break into a car without setting off the alarm?"

"You need a Slim Jim, it's like a thin flat ruler with a hook, you place it under the plastic guard of the window near the lock. Push it down then pull it up, quickly remove the panel under the dash and pull out the two wires that go into the main terminal. It's easier to show you then talk about it because of the numerous wires. Next time we're in your car I'll show you. If you don't have a Slim Jim handy, you can pick the lock but it's a bitch, takes a lot of time and a high skill set."

"I need new toys anyway. I should make a list." I pulled out my pad. " A lock picking set of my own, Slim Jim, first aid kit maybe a camera to take pictures if I get any cheating cases with video capabilities and binoculars."

"Night vision binoculars too, comes in handy more then you would think and some are cameras too. Portable hand held document scanners save time, you just slowly move the wand over the papers or pictures and it copies it to a computer to print out or saves onto a memory stick inside. Much easier then taking a million pictures with a phone, you might also need bugs or trackers but I'm sure Ranger would loan you those otherwise Radio Shack. For security purposes I'd also suggest a bug detector to see if anyone is spying on you other then Rangeman and a gun wand to look for any weapons that could be hidden in people's homes or cars if it pertains to a case. My personal pick would be bolt cutters. I never leave home without them."

I smiled at him "I've been taking most of my cues on how to be an investigator from _The Rockford Files _but your suggestions are much more helpful. I'll go out tomorrow to get all of your suggestions. I don't know my bodyguard yet but if you can switch with him you can help me pick the tools. I don't know the rules on that."

"I'll talk to Tank."

My search pinged. I had 84 articles about me in the three years from 8 different publications. I read through each article highlighting then made some cliff notes on the side. I color coordinated my highlighter based on the issue. Was it a case, a murder, my car, my apartment, to make it easier for me to see the entire picture then placed them under each victim's name according to the dates.

The articles ranged from FTA's I was working on, to the funeral home fire, major car mishaps like the fire truck or garbage truck destroying Ranger's cars. I found most of the articles lied about me a lot. Some accused me of killing Dickie at one point other's of being a danger starter and fan of chaos purposely finding dead bodies for the attention. I found other articles that mentioned the people I have killed like Alpha and Cone or my involvement leading other criminals to their deaths by association. The pictures were all horrible and unflattering too. This was the reason I never read about myself in the papers.

The most recent article was from a few months ago mentioning Lula's mishaps in bounty hunting and wondering where I was, Vinnie did the interview. Moron.

Once I finished with an articles then organised them on the board I didn't see anything pointing at a trigger. Slick manipulated the photo with several filters and enlarged it but the suspicious man still wasn't clear enough. I emailed Royce my findings for him to check any videos he may have from the other victims that were in evidence. I knew I would never get my hands on them with Rex around. Royce responded immediately.

_Keep up the good work Dollface, your making the task force look bad... We have nothing, we debate over food most of the day and are focusing on the club. Jeanne Ellen was sniffing around earlier and heard your on the case. Watch out for her whip._

My brain was tired, most of my newspaper articles were about my disasters and I wasn't feeling so great about myself right now. I didn't see a connection to the women or me so I decided to take a break and go upstairs to work on the Rangeman reviews. I ran victim six, Renee Griffin into my programs. After reading a few employee folders I had a thought.

I needed to change my perspective. I'm looking at this from a killer's view not the victim. I grabbed my legal pad, some pens and my keys. I took the elevator to the sub floor under the garage to the holding cells, Ranger likes to call them private rooms but its a cell.

Last time I was here Ranger had Dickie in one for me after he was kidnapped and beat up. One of the best days in my life to see him that way I thought of making it into a Christmas at one point. I didn't see anyone currently being held in any of the rooms and no one was down there guarding the area so I walked around. I didn't know Ranger had an interrogation room here with one way glass for observation but I shouldn't have been surprised. I tried to open one of the cell door's but it wouldn't budge. I used my fob and it opened. Weird.

I left the door open so I wouldn't feel totally trapped. I stood in the middle of the room looking around putting myself in the victim's shoes.

I'm walking in the open home or somewhere like work, he has to be watching me to take me. I fight unless I have been drugged maybe a needle, Chloral Form? Maybe stunned. He would have to secured me in a car somewhere private just in case I woke up during the drive to escape. I close my eyes and imagine being inside the trunk. I would look for an emergency pull or knock out the lights to get a cop to pull him over unless I am bound tight. I write that down on my legal pad as well as note that older cars don't have any emergency pull's to escape.

He travels awhile with me then we stop somewhere private. The killer takes me inside then what? I don't have marks on my body, no malnutrition and I'm clean. I could escape if I'm in a room with windows. So no windows. If I'm not restrained then I am drugged maybe to move me around easier. I write it down.

If he changed my hair color too I'd definitely knocked out or sedated. He has a secure room or cell with bathroom facilities but I would fight every chance. I'm betting Maggie Austin would have too.

I wrote down my need to research restraints that don't like marks, sedatives or medications that make a person easy to manipulate. I also need to research tox screens, what comes up in a normal report vs what is a special test.

If he was drugging me in his home how? Food ,water, needle. I'd stop eating after the first time I was drugged by the food or water so he would have to use a needle on me but they left marks. When I was sedated months ago I had bruises from the needles for a long time.

Did the women have no memory of being drugged or was it constantly in their systems? If the women were secured in a cell he could leave food and water for days with bathroom facilities attached then recon for the next woman or go away for work.

They were like his pets. That made me feel sick. I sat down for a moment on the bed, the sheets smelled clean so I laid down just for a moment to collect myself.

I'm someone's prisoner. I need food, water, clothes, toilet paper, tampons, soap, toothbrush and paste to get by. Bare minimum nothing that could be used as a weapon. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift.

RPOV

Babe was a wildcat last night. I didn't expect her to be as willing to try new things as she was but once we started the electricity between us didn't stop until we exhausted each other. This morning she was dead to the world so I let her sleep in instead of working out. I focused on my paperwork today and told Tank to handle the day to day again. At this point with Babe's help I may only have half a week more of long days. I saw her working hard on her case but I also received a text from Morelli informing me he caught me cheating last night and his intention of telling Steph. I kinda wished I was there for that call to inform him she was with me. He loved flaunting his relationship with her in front of me in the past but she never trusted him like she does me. I cherish that.

I tracked Babe throughout my day on my computer in my office. It's nothing new, anytime I'm at my desk I have the app up for my piece of mind. I noticed Steph all over Princeton and at a car dealership. I will have to get her car to Al tonight if she buys one for the adjustments. My cell rings bringing me out of my thoughts. I look at the read out, my mother. Fuck.

"Hello Mama."

"Carlito, I wanted to invite you to Christmas Eve and Midnight Mass this year. Of course Christmas day too. You haven't been for many years and your Abuela Rosa is getting older." Please that woman would out live an Apocalypse and we both know it.

"I'm sorry Mama I'm working. I usually take shifts with Tank to give my men time off, I've done this for many years as you know but I will try and stop by in the coming weeks with Stephanie."

I heard my mother perk up. "The bounty hunter?"

"Yes but she is a private investigator now."

"You never date or bring home a woman. You should bring her to meet the entire family for the holidays, are you getting married soon?"

I took a deep breathe. "No Mama but she is my woman. We live together and she is also pregnant with my twins."

"Again! How do you not know how to use a condom by now! You are 34 years old Carlito how could you do this twice? You have to get married this time and stay married. No more divorces! Are you keeping them this time or are you signing away more of my grandchildren I will never see..."

"Mama stop. Steph and I are together, we will raise them together, she in not Rachel." I heard her talking in Spanish to my father and Abuela Rosa with them all arguing with each other in the background about my news.

"Our life is ours alone. You don't need to accept my choices and I don't need approval, we are happy. I have to go."

Mama tried to continue the conversation but I said goodbye and hung up. She would smack me in the head otherwise next time she saw me. My mother would tell the whole family eventually and I'm sure they will feel the same way as her. My mother tried to call me back a few times but I ignored it.

I worked until dinner, seeing Steph's trackers still in the building I decided to call Ella for food then made my way to the control room to check in. I talked to each man on duty and nothing was new. I was about to walk away when I noticed Babe in one of the holding cells on the bed facing away from the camera. My heart stopped.

"Diaz why is my woman in a cell?" I said it in a deathly calm voice that made my other two employees start paying closer attention to there own screens.

"I don't know Sir. She fob in on the last shift and has been inside for hours. Slick checked on her when she first went down."

I turned sharply then took the stairs at a fast clip. Babe could have locked herself in or be hurt. I swear if someone locked her inside as a joke I will cut their throats.

Why would she put herself in a cell willingly? I slammed open the stairwell door and saw the door was cracked open. I walked inside and scrambled the feed. Babe was curled up on the bed with her note pad hugged to her chest, her pen in her pony tail. She didn't look hurt but I checked her anyway. She felt cold to me. I tried to wake her but she just moaned a little. I took her into my arms walking her to the elevator. I ordered the control room to fix the cell and alert me next time she is in one.

I placed her in our bed under the covers to warm her body then read over her notes. She placed herself in the victim's shoes. Although interesting thinking that wasn't healthy for her psychological well being, it could trigger some of her old nightmares. I'll have to monitor her tonight as she sleeps so she doesn't make herself sick again. I heard Ella come in the front door with the tray then leave. I decided to hold Babe in my arms letting the calm of her wash over me before I woke her.

SPOV

"Babe wake up, you need to eat."

I opened one eye then looked around. Deja vu again from this morning. We both got out of bed and walked to the dinning room table.

"Have you noticed Ella keeps lighting candles for us? The flowers everywhere, leaves romantic snacks and music in the cd players? I think she is trying to get you laid." Ranger grins.

"Whatever helps." I rolled my eyes. We had sex constantly, he didn't need any help from Ella but it was sweet of her.

"I had a lot of fun last night, it wasn't what I expected. Clean, private, a little dangerous yet exciting. I wouldn't become member but I'd do those things with you." I bit my lip. "Was their anything you were interested in that we didn't do in any of the rooms like adding another person?" Ranger tensed a little.

"No. I will never want to share you with another man or woman. I've done wild things in my past with people I didn't care about. I love you, I couldn't stand someone else touching or tasting you...Was that something you wanted?"

I just shook my head and he relaxed.

"Their are other things I want to introduce you too but over time, I'm just happy you had an open mind last night."

We discussed our days, he had paperwork, I mentioned Morelli and my new car. Ranger mentioned telling his mom about my pregnancy and her shock. He reminded me it was his life and his family can feel however they wanted then closed the topic.

I didn't look at Ranger for a few minutes. I focused on eating my soup. I didn't know how he would feel about my next statement.

"I'm going to send some information to a few newspapers next week. Some findings and some names of the victim's with a description of the suspected killer. I'm not going to mention my involvement but I'm going to mention the task force established. My guess, it will take a week for the reporters to vet the story before they run it but I want the story to run the next few weeks before January to warn women.

I feel like if the Fed's had come forward sooner they could have saved some of those women... January gives him the green light and I feel like I'm not close to catching him. Royce told me the task force has nothing."

"You have another reason, your not looking at me, what is it?" I looked into his eyes.

"He did things that kept him under the radar, not a lot of press, I want him on notice. I want him to know he is being hunted now. He may make more mistakes, people may report suspicious activity but it could bring press to me and possibly you by association. You like a low profile and I'm trying to maintain that but in this case it may come out. This might also draw out his anger at me, he may step up his game. I can't work around an army."

"No army as long as your not in immediate danger you have my word and the press, I see your reason and I agree. But you need to do it anonymously, no prints or DNA. Nothing too detailed that leads back to you and you have your bodyguard that day assist you in the clean room across from Hector's office. It's made for that purpose." I looked at him confused.

"That wasn't on my Rangeman tour before." Ranger's lips quirked.

"You didn't need it before, eventually I'll take you to the places I didn't show you in the building but Rex may come after you eventually if you make him look bad. You need to watch your back, he's itching to knock you down a peg... I don't want you doing anything dangerous like making yourself bait. In your condition that's not ok with me." He touched my stomach and grazed his fingers along my skin.

"Your shoulders are still tense. What else is bothering you?" I sighed.

"I didn't want to mention it yet until I had proof since I still have a few more reviews left for Miami but two employees don't feel right. Silvio didn't run all the background reports this time, Lester did some and this other guy. One of them, Harland Bartlett, aka Harley is too perfect. More perfect then Valerie's background check which is fishy to me. He's a newer employee and both of his backgrounds were run by August Laws aka Auggie. He is also fishy but I can't put my finger on why.

Everyone has secrets or made a mistake somewhere in their life so I emailed Silvio about them discreetly to check out since he knows them. I should have mentioned it to you earlier but you have enough on your plate. Silvio also told me he would talk to some known associates to be sure. I told him to contact you directly if he found anything bad. My hormones are all over the place though I might be reading more into their files because of my case."

He looked into my eyes "I'd rather be paranoid then have a bad employee. You can come to me anytime, anywhere and I will listen. I trust you, don't doubt your feelings regardless of the outcome." He kissed me lightly and held me close while we talked.

"Esmeralda mentioned Violet's husband as her possible killer, any weight to that?"

"He did have a lot to gain, her money, portfolio, home, assets but I checked his whereabouts. He rarely leaves Spain and his credit card activity says he was around his home those months with his daughter. His name isn't on any recent flight lists either. If he wanted her dead he would want it right away not delayed.

He's a cheating piece of shit with a less then stellar charm but I don't see a killer. He even hired people to search for her when she went missing. I contacted those investigators and they cited confidentiality so they didn't tell me anything but if they had anything then her ex wouldn't have fired them. It was pure luck I even found the letter that was hidden.

The problem I'm having right now is with the older cases. Too much time has passed, most of the women's belongings or homes have went to friends, family or donation. It would help me more to see a fresh crime scene then read some report Rex wrote. He isn't one for extreme details and his photos are shit. I'm still waiting on two calls regarding Maggie Austin but I'm moving onto the Florida victims next."

"Do you see a pattern yet? Anything specific these women have in common with you or each other?"

"No. No flashing sign. We have a few things in common but their not copies of me or each other. I'm still missing the big picture. Slick made me think about a few different things I may need to track down. I might interview a toxicologist or a pharmacist's to ask about sedatives and drugs but the list could be long and not easy to track. Hell I could go to Stark Street right now and find anything I wanted.

I was thinking of going to PA and walk around Maggie Austin's area but I doubt anyone has video still around from that time period but I know the Fed's do. Royce is checking it out for me to match my suspect to anyone.

I'm thinking of making a trip to Florida before January to see the two crime scenes and look at the victim's surroundings and homes but I'm not going to my parents house for Christmas this year. I don't want to bring everyone's holiday spirit down by pretending we are all a big happy family. I can't do it. I've decided to speak to them tomorrow since I can't take the constant calls anymore filling up my voice mail."

"I'll go with you."

"You don't have too. You have work. I'm going to be quick and I've decided to invite Grandma Mazur for support but not Valerie. Grandma knows something is up between us and I know she wants to be involved. I've thought about what would happen if my adoption got out to everyone and my mom would have a breakdown. I would be big gossip but maybe eventually people would leave me alone knowing I'm not born Burg. Mary Lou said Grandma Mazur would love me regardless and it's not like I'm that close to Valerie anyway if she shuns me."

"Your not blood but it doesn't change that you were raised together. You should try and talk your mom into therapy. Set boundaries with her, tell her to stop gossiping and harping to you then make consequences for her when she does. In the past you wanted her approval, you wanted her proud of you but you also know that will never happen unless you lived her exact life, making you miserable.

Your a mother now too, your worried you"ll make mistakes with our children but you know in your heart what not to do based on how you were raised. Being the bigger person is never easy but you need to be happy too Babe. Do you want your mother telling our children to behave and not live out their dreams? To be more like Valerie's kids? I've been to two dinners with you in the past and I already seen what she does to Mary Alice and Angie. It's kinda like you and Valerie all over again. Do you want her putting our children down like you?"

"No! I think I would lose my shit on her immediately." Ranger hugged me closer and placed my head under his chin.

"It's easier to stand up for someone else then yourself. If you air this out now, set boundaries, take time to heal, you may improve your relationship. If your mother decides not to change that's on her, not you. It doesn't mean your father won't try and be involved in your life eventually. You need to look at them separately instead of as a whole. You may find you forgive him quicker for the lies then her and that's ok. You feel how you want too not how she tells you."

"You sound like this comes from experience? Your family?"

"A version." He lifted his shoulder a little.

"One day I'd like to hear the whole story."

"One day you will. Go pick a movie we can watch while we work. No "Ghostbusters" please." I gave him a big smile.

"Well you did say please. I want a comedy anyway, "The Internship."

Ranger and I worked for a few hours then eventually took a break to make out on the couch. We were just about to get to the good part when both of our cell phone's started ringing. Ranger rested his forehead against mine in sexual frustration, I couldn't agree more with him.

Royce was calling me. Ranger took his call in the other room.

"Yo."

"Steph... I have something you need to see. I know it's late but it's important. Come to the warehouse district, the old shoe factory near market and first. Tell them my name to get in." I looked at the phone confused.

Ranger came back into the room. "Control room heard chatter on the radio about the Fed's at a warehouse downtown. They have it roped off like a crime scene. Do you want to check it out?"

"Royce called requesting my presence. Maybe they found the missing victim. Damn, I didn't even have warehouse on my list of where I would hide a body. Let me change into warmer clothes and find my winter hat."


	31. Chapter 31

SPOV

Ranger and I got into his Cayenne in our winter gear. It was bitter cold and windy. We were about 15 minutes away from the crime scene. When we arrived I saw a few police cars and some crime scene tape but not a lot of people hanging around, just a lone reporter annoying the beat cops for information. I pulled my hood up over my face so she wouldn't see me.

"No ambulance or medical examiner but I see the Trenton forensics unit. What is going on here?"

Ranger parked his car and I walked up to talk to Carl Constanza guarding the door.

"If it isn't my favorite person, I'm glad to see you back in town." He gave me a hug and cheek kiss."

"What's up?"

His face became grim. "Some kids were messing around spray painting and someone drove by and called it into dispatch. It's been a slow night so they sent a patrol car. We looked for the kids and saw a light coming from this building with a homeless guy inside. We checked out the building a little further looking for kids and found a creepy room about you."

Ranger wrapped his arm around me for support." I took several deep breaths.

"Any dead bodies I should know about first?"

"Nah your good, Fed's are still inside questioning the homeless guy and we have someone checking the area for witnesses, I didn't know you had a new stalker till I saw this room, the task force was very hush hush till now."

I pulled out my phone and texted Slick since he told me he was available whenever I needed him.

_Need favor, if busy ask control room please. Need heavy blankets, warm clothes, hot meal for homeless man, winter gear if available will pay you back. _I included my location. Slick told me he lived in the fourth floor apartments so I knew he could grab everything out of the Rangeman storage room and break room.

"Thanks Constanza."

Ranger and I entered the warehouse. It was dark but the cops had started to setting up spot lights running through out the building. I saw Royce talking to a forensic guy near the room in question.

"Hey Dollface you need to see this. Royce started leading me into the area but I noticed Rex cornering the homeless man near a wall making the man afraid. I changed directions and walked over quickly to help him.

I heard Rex ask over and over whether the homeless man saw someone enter that room but he didn't answer him back. Rex was being a complete ass trying to intimidate him into talking instead of treating him like a human being. He kept pointing a finger near his face in a threatening way telling him he would be arrested if he didn't speak. I was still a good 20 feet from them so I screamed to get his attention.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" The warehouse went deadly silent. I could feel everyone's eyes on me.

Rex turned, red faced and started walking towards me. He pointed his finger at me "you stay out of this or I'll arrest you myself for interference in a federal investigation as well as anything else I can find."

I rationalized with myself I could afford a lawyer now so I pushed my luck.

"You need me for that room. Now-back-off-of-him or I'm walking with him out that door." I had no idea if they really needed me for that room but I heard the urgency in Royce's voice.

Rex started walking towards me but Ranger stepped forward slightly in front of me in a guard stance with a menacing glare. Rex's steps faltered slightly. Royce decided to intervene Rex and led him away from me. I glared at them then walked over to the man he was bothering. Ranger still hot on my heels didn't seem pleased I was getting so close.

I said in a nice soft voice "Hi my name is Stephanie, are you ok?" The man just nodded. I went into my work bag and grabbed my bottle of water and an apple I left in here earlier.

"Here I don't need this." He took the items from me and nodded. He was about my age maybe younger with a long dark beard, in dirty clothes that didn't smell all that great. He had on a few sweaters and two pairs of sweat pants along with a blanket that barely reached around his shoulders. He sat on the floor against the wall so I lowered myself down to his level.

"Do you have a name?"

He stuttered a little, whether it was from the cold or his conversation from Rex before I didn't know.

"Nate."

"I like that name, I have another friend whose was homeless, her name is Eula Rothridge. She lived near the bus station with her shopping cart. On cold days like this I worried about her a lot. I won't let anyone here hurt you either Nate, I promise. I have a friend coming his name is Slick, he should be here in a few minutes with some things for you...can you tell me if you saw anything unusual today here? Any strange people doing anything in that room behind me?"

"I come here to get out of the cold when the shelter fills up. I haven't seen anyone, I usually sleep in the park. I keep to myself and I don't want to be arrested."

"I promise I won't let that happen, you did nothing wrong." I heard someone walking behind me so I turned. Slick had a bag of things I had requested. I gave him a smile as he handed them to me."

"Thanks I owe you." He just nodded.

"Nate it's really cold out tonight, I don't want you to get sick, will you wear this thick jacket and the rest of these clothes for me. We also have a hat and scarf with some mittens and this big warm blanket for you. If you do that for me I also have a big bag of food here that is warm for you." Nate was skittish so I kept my voice level and kind, making it seem like he was doing me a favor instead of taking charity. I had a lot of conversations with Eula about being homeless when I would take her in for being FTA, I tried to apply my knowledge to relate to him now.

Nate nodded and started to put on the layers, wrapping himself in the blanket. I handed him the bag of food then went into my wallet. I didn't have much cash but Ranger stopped me and took out his money clip taking out several hundreds of dollars. I pulled out my business card and placed it with the money.

"Hey Nate this is my name and number if you ever need help, food, shelter, bail, keep it with you ok, use the shelter's phone if you need to. I want you to have this money too. I need to go look at that room over there," I pointed so he knew where I was going "but my good friend Slick will protect you from everyone until I return to get you into a hotel tonight. Just hang tight for me and if you get too cold I will take you over sooner, Slick will come get me."

"Why? What do you want in return?"

"Nothing." I sighed. "I know what it's like to go without food and heat, worry about having a roof over your head. You answered my questions honestly and I think your a good person. I just want you safe from the cold. I have to go in that room now but I want you to scream my name as loud as you can if anyone bothers you again. Do you remember my name?"

He nodded "Stephanie." I gave him a big smile.

"I'll be back."

I turned to Slick and he just nodded. He took a guard stance near Nate and gave everyone a menacing look. I glared at the people watching us instead of working.

I pulled out my legal pad and flipped to a new page.

Ranger whispered into my ear "Breathe Babe. I'm right here, focus to achieve the goal." Ranger could tell I was uneasy and my nerves were all over the place.

I took a deep breath before entering the room. Rex and Royce were inside looking at the walls away from the door I had just entered.

The room looked like it use to be a large office except it didn't contain any furniture. The white paint was peeling off the walls but on top of the paint were hundreds of pictures of me hung up by push pins. I felt the air leave my lungs. This was a new level of crazy for me. Ranger squeezed my hand and tensed.

I whispered to him "I've never had someone this obsessed, this is freaking me out a little."

"When your ready to leave we leave." He squeezed my hand one more time and started looking at the first wall.

The Fed's had set up several spot lights to illuminate the room to see the photos better. All four walls were covered head to toe with only small glimpses of the paint on the walls. I looked ahead to the main wall where Royce and Rex were standing and talking. Painted in red script that looked like blood but I was hoping was red paint it said _Stephanie Land. _He wrote it as a banner above some larger pictures that I could't really see because they were standing in the my way. Ranger moved even closer to me now in full protection mode. He pulled out his phone and started texting.

"This feels like "Silence of the Lambs" in here. All were missing is the well in the middle of this room to _put the lotion in the basket_." Ranger didn't laugh but looked shocked at my words. I don't even know why I said it but a photographer near me taking pictures broke out into hysterics causing Rex and Royce to look at us. Royce walked over to me and just stood by.

I started looking at the first pictures on the left wall. They were me as a baby. "These are copies, they have been touched up and glossed, the photographs at my parents house are not like these in my parents albums."

I moved along the wall, it was a progression of my childhood to my college years up until my 29th birthday. All the photos were enlarged to cover the walls. Some pictures weren't of me but things that related to my life in some way. My childhood home, all of my schools, a picture of Big Blue, a picture of my baton and twirler outfit from high school that was at my parents house in a closet long forgotten. A picture of my lost cat Katherine. My first job the Tasty Pastry, a picture of the hot dog stand from when I was 18. The church from my childhood and the one I married Dickie in as well. The killer had stolen these images from my parents home as well as items of mine. "Some of these photos are on display in my parents house."

I stopped breathing a second. Were my parents ok? I had just heard from my mom several times today on my voice mail and Grandma would have called if their was anything major I needed to know. I let the breath go.

I saw a picture of the poem's Joe wrote about me on Mario's Sub Shop bathroom wall and the stadium wall. I was annoyed and Ranger was simmering with controlled rage. I saw a picture of my old house I had lived in with Dickie, all of my old apartment buildings and dorm building from college.

I didn't want the killer having my baby blanket and shoes or my baton. I would never want those items back now with the killer's cooties all over them. I saw Christmas tree ornaments I had made growing up in pictures he had taken for himself. I pictured him putting them on his own tree for some reason.

I moved onto the center wall after my walk through memory lane, the wall that said Stephanie Land on top. Eight pictures were enlarged, pictures of each victim in a row in the order they were killed. Not their before pictures either, their after pictures that resembled me. He took these pictures himself where he left them to be found. After Violet's picture I saw two large question marks the size of the other photos. These would be his future victims. Then I saw myself as the eleventh picture. I was going to be his last victim. Underneath these large photos were more pictures of me recently from the last year just doing normal things like shopping or eating out alone.

I moved on to the next wall to my right. It was photos of me in order of the last three years as I became a bounty hunter. Photos of me investigating, waiting in my car, walking an FTA different places, holding bond paperwork. I shivered. How did I not see someone for three years with a freaking camera?

I saw a single picture of my gun I knew he took, of my pet hamster Rex, pictures of my apartment and bond's office, places I worked in my time I quit the bond's office like the cleaners and Cluck in the Bucket, St. Francis and the clinic I went too when I was hurt in the past. He knew a lot about me. I saw Morelli's house as well, some pictures I recognized Joe took over the years that were in shoe boxes in his closet. He was too lazy to buy an album. That meant he broke into Joe's house too.

Royce spoke up "Morelli has forensic's at his house now since he took pictures of every inch of it then they will move onto your parents." I just nodded and continued looking at each shot.

"I'm sure both Joe and my parents are loving your crews at there homes, I can feel my voice mail exploding as we speak." Good thing I put it on silence before I got out of the car.

The only pictures of other people so far that weren't cut out to only show me, were of me working as a bounty hunter with Vinnie, Lula and Connie in some of the shots. My stalker seemed more obsessed with my life as a bounty hunter then of my family. For that I was thankful.

I noticed a few pictures of me standing near Ranger or Morelli working, being at the police station over the years, some of me covered in garbage or injured. He had pictures of all my favorite things the last few years, food, places I liked, beach spots, me in bikini's. He definitely went through my trash. I saw a picture of my old birth control pill pack that was empty, cd's from my car, pictures of my lingerie that was in my apartment that were placed on my bed. He had copies of all my pictures from my apartment too. I was grossed out by the picture of my hair with a silk bow around it. I made a note he might have stolen the hair from when I got my hair cut from Mr. Alexander. The mall definitely has security camera's everywhere. I might find something.

I saw pictures of my bounty hunter tools, stun gun, defense spray, hair spray for when I was broke then lined up were pictures of the people I had killed or tried to hurt me. Every single case I was paid to investigate as well as any newspaper articles that ever mentioned my name.

"This is something else. I don't think a newspaper article would set someone off this much, it doesn't feel right. This room is very personal, it took a lot of time. It's like he wanted you to find it to show me... I didn't smell any fresh spray paint outside? Are we sure the kids ever existed? Or did he make the call himself?"

Royce spoke up "We are looking into it already. That was my thought too, I saw a lot of spray paint in the area but I didn't smell any. The wind and weather could have been a factor as well. He stalked you with a long range camera in most of these shots. You probably wouldn't have noticed him. Some were even taken from roof tops Morelli pointed out earlier, especially the bond's office photo's." That made me only feel slightly better.

I moved onto the last wall that had the door we had entered from. On the left side of the wall large red x's were placed over Ranger's face. Ranger's pictures were of him and me working or eating. Some were really nice shots that I would have liked to have if they weren't from a psycho.

On Ranger's side of the wall an artistic poster of a large painting was in the middle of the photos. I moved closer to exam it. It was of a warrior in a suit of armorer looking stern with a bad ass helmet that resembled a dragon on his head. I looked at the bottom right corner of the poster for the name.

"Leonardo da Vinci's, Profilo di Capitano Antico also known as Condottiero, 1480, _Leader of the Mercenaries _is the title of the painting." By the big red x across this poster I'm guessing he isn't a friend of Ranger's. The photo had a red substance across the warriors neck like it was cut with a knife. Ranger looked grim since we had entered the room but now he seemed annoyed. When I had said Leader of the Mercenaries he smirked. This piece oddly fit him.

Royce spoke up "It seems like he doesn't like you having affections with anyone that is male." I rolled my eyes at him.

"I see you put your detective hat on today Royce, what gave it away? The big red X through all the pictures of Ranger or the blood?"

He smiled. "Forensics told me it was pig blood not human. What do you see?"

"None of the pictures are recent of me. The last one was taken in the summer, I know because that bikini was new, I only wore it a few times... I've been gone since September too. Maybe that's why he messed up with the missing victim that we can't find.

He could have been upset by my long disappearance, maybe he took his anger out on her, I don't know. I don't think psycho well. I've been taking notes this whole time on different photos and mementos, where he could have been when he took recent photos so I'll make you a copy for you when I'm done. I want to go around one more time after I finish this circle. I also want copies of all the wall's so I can look for clues in them the next few days too. I'd take out my phone now and snap pictures but I can feel Rex burning holes into the back of my head as we speak, just itching to arrest me."

"What you did for that homeless man was dangerous. He could have attacked you... Did he tell you anything?"

"I had a good feeling about him and if he didn't attack Rex for threatening him, he wouldn't have attacked me. I kept a safe distance and Ranger was next to me the entire time so give me a break. Nate didn't see anything, he broke in because it was cold tonight, he usually sleeps in the park." I lifted up both of my arms to point at the walls around me, "this takes more then a day to do. This would take several. How old is the pig blood? Can't your forensic's team tell by testing it or something? CSI isn't on my watch list on Netflix."

He smiled at me. "They are working on it now."

I moved onto the pictures of me above the door that we had entered to get in the room. In the center of the pictures was an artistic poster of a woman in a pink dress with long flowing brown hair that had a few flowers in it. She was holding a mirror in her hand and in the background there was water like she was on an island. She was on a terrace with roses and doves surrounding her. I saw a ladder near the door so I started to climb up the steps to get a closer look. I was about to take my second step when Ranger plucked me off the ladder not pleased and raised his eyebrow at me. I rolled my eyes again and crossed my arms over my chest. It wasn't that high, I just needed two more steps to see better. Ranger climbed the five steps instead of me and pulled out his flash light to show me the photos of myself around this poster of the painting.

Ranger looked at the corner again to see the name of it. "Another poster, Helen of Troy, 1898 by Evelyn De Morgan." I wrote it down.

"_The face that launched a thousand ships_." I didn't see myself as her though.

"Does that painting hold any significance to you Dollface? Do you attend art shows or are you a collector of art?" I snorted at him.

"No. I don't see myself as Helen of Troy and I have never had a huge competition of suitors lined up at my door. I went many years in between boyfriends. You read my background check you should know that. "

"But you have had a few stalkers and that Dave Brewer wanted you. I read that in your Trenton PD file. I heard about the on again off again with Morelli too, among your _current relationship status_. Your a beautiful woman, I can see how you would be attacked by unsavory people in your line of work especially from the media attention." Royce said "current relationship status" as more of a whisper to me and Ranger then to the room at large. I was thankful, we wanted to keep our business private and Royce was a man of his word.

"Dave Brewer didn't want me for me, he wanted to piss off Morelli. I was just his current girlfriend at the time and the stalkers were pissed about me hunting them down because they were FTA or pissed that I ruined their criminal plans. Only one of my stalker's said he was in love with me but he was a rapist and a psycho." I shivered thinking about Benito Ramirez. I didn't count Scrog either. His fascination was more with Ranger and taking over his life then actually being in love with me. Scrog couldn't stand me once he took me. I started thinking about the rest of Royce's question.

"The last time I went to anything art related was my time at Rutgers. I took an introduction to Art History as an elective and I had to go to the Museum in Philadelphia on a field trip. I can't tell you anything about what I saw but I remember they had these warm little apple pies that were better then McDonald's mini pies... I think art is pretty on walls but I don't know names of pieces unless it's insanely famous and I don't follow any artists. My apartments in the past have always had photos of family members or beach scenes sometimes nature that I buy at Target."

"Did you write about anything that was published at college? Anything that could be on record at the school in some library? I saw in your records you graduated from Douglas College in the top 98% of your class and the killer had a big focus on the opposite wall of your time at college." I snorted.

"I failed math twice, daydreamed in my history elective and fell asleep in the library so many times the librarian provided me with a blanket that was solely mine in her cabinet. I didn't publish anything especially not in art. The only paper I ever remember writing for class was on a painting called _Joan of Arc in a Battle,_ the artist I don't remember. I had to pick something I admired or saw myself in. I liked that she was a young determined warrior. She carried a sword too which was pretty cool but years later I went to Medieval Times at Mercer County Park and tried to sword fight, it was a bitch on the wrist... No. I saw the amount of college pictures and those aren't ringing a lot of bells for me. Some were from my parents house, some from me and the others I don't know, Facebook maybe? I don't have a profile but a ton of people do or maybe I was in the year book?"

I moved onto Morelli's side of the wall and he had pictures of us sitting in his living room eating pizza and watching TV. Morelli's arm was around me in few but nothing sexual, mostly us just cuddling. More pictures of us eating donuts or talking near our cars, some kissing goodbye or eating at Pino's. I was clear as day in the pictures but Morelli had a big X through his face just like Ranger. His main poster picture was different from mine and Ranger's, his was a poster of a statue not a painting.

"The statue depicts a man surrounded by six half naked women severing and waiting on him... Yeah that's Morelli in a nut shell not that many years ago." I read the name on the bottom of the poster. "Apollo served by the Nymphs, Francois Girardon and Thomas Regnaudin, 1666-1675. I know Apollo is a Greek God but I'm blanking on who he was." I looked closer at the picture.

Ranger spoke up. "Apollo, Greek God of many things, light, music, healing, arts, protection of the young. Depending on the story he had many lovers." I crinkled my face a little at the picture.

"It kinda fits Joe, he thinks he's a God with women but I'm surprised the killer didn't pick a painting with a man surrounded by a lot of virgins, Joe did deflowered most of the girls in Jersey in his youth."

"Thanks for the compliment Cupcake. Maybe the next crime scene." I blushed red and held my breathe. I didn't mean for him to hear that.

I turned around and he had his cop face firmly in place looking at Ranger who matched his blank one in return. I could feel the room heating up and the testosterone levels rising.

"I let the forensic techs run my house for DNA and fingerprints but they won't be finished for a while. I left Eddie Garza in charge of Bob and my place. I checked for the pictures he has on the wall of Steph and me and they are still where I left them around the house and my closet. He made copies of all of them and I noticed some of Steph's belongings I had boxed up in the closet from our last break up is now gone. I don't know when they disappeared."

Royce spoke up "That could have been Ella or the killer, you need to question her. What was in the box?"

"A few pieces clothes, underwear, makeup, different face crap with lotions, tampons, shampoo, a used jar of peanut butter, a jar of green olives, a box of Tastykakes, a copy of "Ghostbusters," a ratty shirt, a few magazines and a tooth brush. At the time I didn't want Ella to see them so I had it in the back of the guest room closet but I will ask."

They turned to me and I shivered. "They have cooties now. I don't want that stuff back when we find him. Honestly I don't even remember what I left there. I usually pack everything with me in my clothes hamper when we break up then leave. But our last fight was explosive so I grabbed my things in a hurry, I didn't leave anything that was important to me." Ranger had a thinking about smile to his lips and Joe looked annoyed. I wasn't trying to hurt Joe but it was the truth.

"Despite what you think, killer cooties and death cooties aren't real. I'm sure we can get your stuff back eventually like you gun, baton, baby blanket and clothes. You can wash them and they will be like new." I shook my head vehemently.

"No thank you..." I took a few depth breaths and walked to the center of the room looking the space as a whole. "The art seems more like Maggie Austin's style, she was the art consultant. Maybe in his delusional's state these paintings are how he views all three of us in a way... I believe the love note was from him, he signed it as a knight. At the time I thought he was just playing up the romance but maybe he thinks he is a knight and views me as the fair maiden, Ranger as the solider and Joe as a god in a twisted way. When you think about it, it's like a twisted and creepy fairy tale. I don't know... I'm just thinking out loud." I sighed deeply.

"Cupcake it's scary when you put things like that together, you saw this room you need to stay out of this case. Your his end game."

I pointed to my bounty hunter section on the wall. "I'm his last victim. I have months. He didn't do anything to Lula, Connie or Vinnie's pictures, only yours and Ranger's. You more of a threat to him then me. I'm number twelve Morelli, I don't know the significance of twelve to him but my birthday is October 12th. I don't think I have twelve related to any other parts of my life but I will think about it." I wrote that down on my notepad to check out. I took a few deep breaths.

"What did my parents say when someone showed up to there house?"

Royce spoke up "We sent Big Dog over to ask questions, the team will show up after Morelli's place. Last I heard Mrs. Plum was giving Big Dog a hard time and the neighbors were calling constantly but she was offering him food and beverages."

I said a little bitterly "Always the Burg host."

"Any reason you haven't called her lately?" I turned my glare to Royce.

"Stay out of my business. Do you talk to your mother constantly?" He snorted. That was a hell no too.

"Anything for me yet?"

"I need to take a small break and get some air then I'll walk around one more time and check some notes with the pictures. I'll let you know my thoughts when I know them myself."

Rex entered the conversation, he was mostly talking to techs this whole time. I don't know what Royce said to him before but he had backed off of me in this room.

"Your wasting our time, go home and do your nails. It was a mistake calling you." I was angry and insulted. If he wasn't a Fed I might have even hit him. I heard Joe hold his breath. He thought I was going to blow up too. Royce tried to make Rex leave the room but Ranger stepped closer to me, barely touching me, trying to calm me while giving Rex a menacing look. I knew Ranger was trying to help me keep my temper in check. We had talked about this a lot after our last interrogation with Rex but I was cold and tired.

"And yet I have a suspect in mind as well as several promising leads while you have wasted two years screwing different bar whores while your poor wife was at home with two young kids. You let these women get killed because of your own stubbornness and pride instead of warning the public." Rex tried to charge at me but Royce grabbed him and Morelli helped pull him from the room. Ranger saw Rex's movements and pushed me behind him for protection then went into a fighting stance. When Ranger and I were left alone in the room, Ranger placed his hand under my chin with a smirk.

"Babe. What did I tell you about pissing him off? You have maybe five minutes left here before he throws you out of this room. He is leading this case and has that power." We could hear Rex yelling in the other room so I tried to look at the walls again quickly but I heard Nate screaming "Stephanie!"

My heart stopped and I ran from the room with Ranger right behind me. Rex was on the other side yelling and pacing. Nate looked upset by his behavior. Slick was still near Nate in his protective stance but was trying to calm him down. I ran over to them.

"Hey Nate calm down. I'm back. Are you ok?" He just shook his head.

"I'm scared. I want to leave please help me leave." I thought about it. I would just get pictures from Royce tomorrow anyway, it's too cold.

"Your right buddy it's too cold. How about we get out of here together and find you a warm bed tonight." He just nodded and stood up. Nate grabbed what was left of his food bag and walked with me out as Ranger and Slick positioned themselves between me and Nate for protection from everyone around us.

As we walked I felt like I had let Ranger down a little by running my mouth about Rex's background.

"He's a hot head Ranger, that doesn't respect woman. I could have sneezed wrong and he would have yelled at me. I don't want him to walk all over me just because I'm a woman. I know I could have handled the situation better though."

"You have a right to say whatever you like but at times it's best to hold your tongue to continue the access to the scene. Rex isn't very high up in the FBI but other people you come across will be. At times it is best to play nice, you never know when you may need information or a friend. You said you wanted to work on impulse control, Rex would be a good start." He had a good point but I had an Italian temper at times I couldn't help. Ranger could read me like a book.

"Playing nice at times although painful, helps build your business and reputation. Although you defended yourself and that makes me proud, he is lucky he was in a group of agents because he was walking a thin line of my patience in his treatment of you." Ranger had a dark look in his eyes that I didn't want to question with an audience so close.

I turned to Nate. "I know a hotel a few blocks over my treat."

Ranger didn't even bat an eye to put Nate in his Porsche, he just went into his trunk and pulled out two blankets and covered his back seats for Nate to sit on. That made me love him even more.

Ranger drove us to a chain hotel not far away with Slick following from behind in his SUV. I jumped out. "Stay with Nate, Slick is already out of his car for me." Ranger tried to pass me his credit card but I just shook my head and closed the door.

We entered the front desk and I asked a room for two weeks. I got the key card and paid with my Black Enterprises Credit card then left my number with the front desk if there were any issues as a contact number.

Slick spoke up "That was very kind of you but Nate will just be on the streets again soon. He doesn't seem all together mentally."

"I know but it's cold tonight and I know a social worker from high school that I can call to help him. I called her for Eula too. Natalie is good with people and can get him the help he needs. I just needed him in one spot so she could find him easily." He gave me a big smile.

"Well look who is slick now." I bumped him with my shoulder and smiled.

Ranger and I got Nate into the hotel room and I explained how long the room was paid for and amenities in the area he could use for food and clothing. I mentioned my friend that would contact him tomorrow. I didn't mention Natalie was a social worker, with Eula that word freaked her out a lot and I didn't want to scare Nate away from a warm room.

I said my goodbyes and turned to leave.

"Stephanie wait!"

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking awhile. I didn't see anything but Thomas the magician might have. I remember now he is the one that told me about the building you found me in, he usually sleeps there and a few other places when he can't get into the shelter."

"Where is Thomas right now?"

"The shelter on Clinton, he beat me by a few minutes for the last spot. You can't get in now to talk to him, they have a strict lights out policy but breakfast starts at 8. He wears a magic hat and has a blanket like a cape. They have blueberry pancakes with syrup sometimes too."

"Yum my favorite! Thanks Nate. Good luck."

Ranger and I didn't speak since the hotel room, we were both lost in our own thoughts from our long night but in bed he just held me tight. Anytime I moved around he just pulled me closer to his body for protection. I brushed his hair with my fingers and thought of my big day tomorrow, my first goal was to track down a magician.


	32. Chapter 32

SPOV

I had a restless night last night. Ranger and I tossed and turned, eventually when I did get some sleep I was back in that shoe factory trapped, walking around in the dark trying to find an exit. Ranger got up at his usual time to work out only to run back upstairs ten minutes later to meet with one of his bigger clients about a break in to calm him down. I gave up on sleep around 5:45 am and sat on the coach eating my Life cereal that I had hidden in the cabinet from Ranger. It's not the most healthy item but I have been craving it on occasion with some bananas slices and olives mixed in. Ranger doesn't comment on my weird food pairings but he makes a face sometimes. I was about three cereal bowls into my day when I checked my voice mails and text messages.

_Morelli:_

_My house clean. So is your parent's house. They want to talk to you said I'd pass that along. Lunch today Pino's? I hate things are weird._

I typed back _I'll let you know I don't know about my day yet._

Royce left me a text too.

_Your a trouble maker but Rex was out of line. Let's compare notes soon. Blood was all pig, dried from the day Violet died. My guess is he planted the body then went to the factory. Caller that reported the kids at the warehouse was from a burner phone, no answer when I called it several times checking it out._

I texted back _Maybe lunch at Pino's I'll let you know._

Two birds one stone. Perfect. I left my computer running on multiple searches then also ran Ranger's desktop to make it faster for the other victims. I felt like their wasn't enough time in my day to research and be on the street so I left them to run. I watched some morning shows before I started to get dressed for the shelter to speak to Thomas the magician. The house phone rang so I ran to the kitchen to answer it thinking it was Ranger.

"Yo."

"Stephanie?" It's a girls voice?

"Ya?"

"Hey it's Julie Maritime we met once." Julie?

"Hey kiddo? I remember. How are you?"

"Umm ok. My mom told me you were dating Ranger and are pregnant. I'm happy for you both! I was just calling to let you both know my birthday is coming up and I sent out invitations today so don't forget to RSVP. I know Ranger works a lot but if he can't come your still invited." She calls her dad Ranger? Weird. You think after a life or death experience she would say dad. I know they aren't close but I didn't realize it was still so distant. I knew she told me before she didn't know a lot about Ranger but I assumed that changed since Scrog.

I told her we would try to make it and I asked her about school and the weather in Miami. We talked for an hour then she had to go. She seemed like a cool kid and well adjusted since her experience but I was definitely getting the therapy vibe. I knew she was interested in the field but I kept waiting for her to say to me and how does that make you feel. I could see how that made Ranger uncomfortable too.

I was having a very productive morning so far, I finished Miami's review notes for Ranger and looked over Anderson's investment portfolio he had set up for me. I agreed to invest in two new apartment buildings but not any restaurants, I heard half fail in there first year and I didn't want to loose any money, just grow it slowly.

Despite Anderson's explanations I still passed. He asked me about real estate and I told him I wanted to buy a house but I wasn't sure I was emotionally ready, it was a big step. I told him my concerns over cleaning a large property and yard. Anderson assured me the markets were low for a good deal on a home and reminded me of my goals I had told him before. He gave me his personal/business advice that situations change in a second, it was wiser for me to have a house and not need it, then need a house and not have it. Life wasn't a fairy tale and I wanted security, this was my security. He made a good point that I could purchase and if I wasn't emotionally ready to live in the home I could rent it for income or use it as a getaway when I needed too. If I didn't like those options I could just let it sit and check on it occasionally hiring a lawn service to maintain the yard.

Anderson was right, I needed and wanted a safety net to feel more secure in my relationship with Ranger. I needed to know deep down I had somewhere to go if Ranger and I don't work out in the end. We could grow apart, he could decide one day my life was just too crazy to handle like Morelli or just end up fighting all the time eventually. In the back of my mind I also knew Rangeman although nice, didn't feel like home to me, my apartment was home. Ranger and I needed more space when the babies were born too as well as our own places in a house from each other. I agreed to check out a few houses today after lunch. I texted Grandma Mazur I'd meet her at my parents house at 9 am after my visit to the shelter. I was happy to work again with Slick today, we jumped into my new SUV discussing our plan for the day.

RPOV

Seeing the crime scene yesterday brought out a lot of emotions inside of me, fear, anger, protectiveness. Babe has a good heart, she can see the good in people when most see none but she hasn't experienced the world like me. I don't want to take that view from her but people in this world feed off that idealism. It makes me want to protect her even more then before.

My chest tightened when Babe told me she understood what it was like to go with out heat or food then worry about a roof over her head. I tried to monitor her accounts when I wasn't in the wind, give her legitimate jobs for me but Steph wasn't the kind of woman that would let me take care of her even if I had paid every bill she had, we didn't have that kind of relationship. Morelli was her boyfriend for most of three years so he should have helped her when she needed it.

Being in a couple now is still foreign and new to me, I expect to make a lot of mistakes but I will never allow those things to ever happen to her again for as long as she lives. I knew in the past when Babe needed food she would eat at her parent's house a lot or Morelli would fill her fridge. I made sure Steph always had rent money but the lack of heat got to me.

I never noticed when I would visit her at night or when I was away. I usually didn't take off my jacket when I would sit in her chair and watch her sleep. How many nights did she freeze because she was worried about a bill. How many times did she get sick because of it or go to Morelli's house on the really cold bitter nights just for the warmth. I hated myself for not knowing she had that fear. I hated Babe ever living that way. Growing up in Newark with all the kids in my family, money was always tight. I understood that worry because my parents had those same fears, I use to act out trying to get money so I could have more of what I wanted that my parents couldn't afford to give me. I know Babe has her own money now but no matter what happens between us, I will make sure Babe and our babies are always well provided for in every way. We could split tomorrow and I would buy her a house, car, hire house keepers, nannies, cooks and still give her child support because I have never loved someone as much as I have loved her.

My mind constantly drifts back to last night. Most people in that factory saw Nate as nothing but my Babe stood up for him. I was proud of her although I was nervous about her proximity to him, not because I thought he would attack her although that is always possible, I was more concerned he would give her some kind of illness. I don't even let my own men who may think they are sick near her.

Then we entered that obsessive room and I saw a new level crazy Babe has never experienced before. Yes she got notes, body parts, sometimes the odd creature or flowers but not some kind of shrine to her.

I myself admit when it comes to Steph I have some stalking tendencies. I have collected images of her on security cameras, videos of us together in public places placed on a secured flash drive in my safe that I viewed in my penthouse privately when I missed her or when she was back together with Morelli; I have tracked her, gone through her apartment several times for one reason or another, professional and personal especially when I first met her. I constantly background check her more out of love and protection but to see someone else break into other people's homes on top of following her for three years where even I didn't notice the camera concerns me. Babe is never aware of her surroundings but I am.

I pulled out my cell that night to increase Babe's threat alert level for Rangeman, her security stays as is but her shadow will be closer by now in street clothes blending in, instead of in a Rangeman car at a distance. I'm use to being a target, I wasn't put off by the x over my face on the wall of pictures. I'm not concerned he will come after me, I'd prefer he did so I could end this but it doesn't mean I will let my guard down.

I'm also launching my own investigation into Rex. I think he is extremely hostile to Steph for some other reason then just her being a woman and involved in this case. I don't trust him, my gut is telling me he is hiding something... Steph just brings on this side of him I don't see with anyone else and I can't pinpoint why yet.

I had a restless night thinking about Babe's case and security, now dealing with this client dragging on in his lecture I will need a physical release soon. I preferred to work out my stress with Babe but I may have to settle with a punching bag if she is out all day again today. I was just finishing up my meeting when my cell rang with Silvio's number. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what he had to tell me.

"Yo"

"Ranger you need to get down here. Steph's two searches came back bad for Harley and Auggie. I informed Santos immediately and they have been disarmed and placed into private rooms. Santos is about to begin questioning but they may have altered more then their backgrounds. I'm checking ever key stroke that have logged but Auggie had good computer skills. We are reviewing each assignment that they had as well as Rangeman building access based on the camera feeds since they started. We are still investigating but I found some missing funds so far and a few missing weapons from the armory." How did I miss this! I personally approved every man before they become full time and I didn't get a funny feeling about them before I signed off... I really don't want to go to Miami either leaving Babe. I could take her but I know she is working her case right now and would probably decline.

I didn't think we would have much time together in Miami but I didn't like being a far distance from her just in case...I needed answers from these men on exactly what they did though. This is the exact reason I run checks every three months on my employees to catch this shit before it impacts my business.

"I'm on my way."

I made a call to have a private jet fly me to Miami. I hated flying commercial, I couldn't be armed unless I showed my id's constantly which was a pain in the ass. It didn't make financial sense for me to own a plane but I traveled enough that Rangeman had an account along with several of my aliases.

My heart constricted for some reason. Babe hasn't been out of my sight in months, even back in Trenton she is never more then 30 minutes from me. I've never struggled so much before leaving her since the night she was taken and I had to go in the wind. This is one of the reasons I always told her my life didn't lead to a relationship, I needed to focus on my job and not back home, lack of focus gets you killed.

Between my contract and my business I didn't have a choice when I had to leave or work but I explained this to her since the beginning. I'm hoping to be back by tonight or tomorrow at the latest but I still don't know the full situation. I called Tank to let him know about my situation and departure. I grabbed some paperwork from my office, the completed files Steph left for me, my laptop for the flight as well as a pair of Babe panties. I don't know why I took them I just did on instinct. I made sure my men were on standby for Babe too.

I didn't need to remind Tank what would happen if Babe was hurt while I was away, he already knows she is my life and first priority over anyone else. I trust Tank to look out for Babe as if she was his own but it didn't make leaving easier. I checked Babe's trackers and saw she was at her parent's house. I wanted to kick myself.

Steph told me yesterday she was going but I got caught up in my own shit that I forget. I didn't even monitor her whereabouts as much today because of my client meeting and break in. Tank and I rush into the SUV so I could make my flight and let her know I was leaving. I liked seeing her one last time before I ever left town, her kisses became a good luck charm for me in the past but I also wanted her to know to contact Tank if I wasn't available for her.

I sat with my number two as we made our way to the burg.

"Slick told me Steph requested him today as her guard, I made the switch. They seem to have developed an unexpected partnership. In the meeting about her case they barely made any contact, I didn't expect this. He usually prefers to work alone then with his assigned Rangeman partner... I also heard Steph contacted him last night instead of her standby guard on the night shift."

"I've noticed. I'm willing to let it play out for now, see his report of her today then figure out if she would be a good match for him temporarily on a week by week basis with the other guards used as weekend rotation. Her safety is most important, if Slick steps out of line with her or is inappropriate in any way I want him replaced immediately. The other guards haven't worked out so far, I'll look at the men in Miami but I'm also considering Alejandro. I don't want Steph exposed to anyone that is sick either."

"I've already spoken to Slick regarding any development of feelings towards her other then a partnership. I warned him he wouldn't see you coming if he made any moves on her. He isn't stupid. Steph asked him for help and training regarding breaking into cars and hot wiring. I'm curious to see it play out but I'll monitor it closely maybe place a bug discreetly in her car to hear how they interact as a unit for quality control."

I just nodded. "If she finds it I know nothing."

"I will take full responsibility and email you a copy of the sound file." We talked briefly about how Steph picked up on the problem in Miami before anyone else. Santos was a great interrogator, I knew he'd get the information we needed but I wanted to see the tape myself of the interrogation then ask my own questions. I needed to make an example out of them for the men to stay in line.

Tank spoke up "I don't know how she does it, I looked at the employees files myself last night when you told me and they were hired and reviewed. Auggie has been cleared through two reviews in the past and this will be Harely's first other then the initial interview. I didn't pick anything up and neither did you. If I didn't know her the last three years and see what she has done as a bounty hunter I'd think she was involved some how. She does one pass and then just gets a feeling." Tank just shakes his head "I swear sometimes she has government training when she finds these things."

Tank didn't know of Babe's biological parents but I believed genes played a role in her intelligence. I believed Babe inherited her mother's intuition and instincts just like I believed Julie inherited my good looks, strength and emotional flexibility to take everything in stride and not panic in the face of danger.

I couldn't fault Ethan for what he had done, I had done something similar. I could have left Julie to be cared for by my family but that would have been a burden to them, they couldn't have afforded having her and keeping her off the streets of Newark especially since I wasn't emotionally or physically invested. Rachel would have fought me tooth and nail.

Instead I did what was best at the time for Julie and myself, I was told by everyone I was being selfish but Rachel was going to be a good mom. She seemed like a good person and had a good family for support. When Ron came into her life again, Julie had everything she needed to be loved and taken care especially since I never stopped sending checks. The distance from Miami to Newark also didn't help my family with bonding to Julie, Rachel nor my parents made any effort for visitation. Whether that was spurred on by their anger at my divorce or giving up my rights to Julie I don't know.

I believed Ethan when he said he had no other choice but to give up Babe. Ethan didn't know for sure it was his child, he never bonded with her mother emotionally or with her pregnant stomach with the life growing inside of her. All he knew was his partner had died and neither had family.

I'm thankful Steph ended up with the Plum's because it led her to me eventually. I think after six years of wondering if he may be the father he had to know for sure, even if it was just to make sure she was ok. I felt the same with Julie. Although we aren't emotionally connected, she was my blood and I needed to know she was provided for and safe.

I think after Ethan's first visit before he even tested Babe's DNA he knew she was his blood and eventually saw she needed an emotional ally when Mrs. Plum ganged up on her. I even understood why Ethan had abandoned Babe when she was twenty four taking a high level position. It was a position I once had an eye on myself if I ever grew tired of Rangeman life and decided to sell out to Tank and Santos.

Ethan staying in contact with Babe would have made her a larger target, he needed to focus and she was an adult at a point. She said it herself, she was becoming her own person again not easily manipulated by the Burg and her family. I'm sure if I was in his position with Julie I would have done the same thing as him by cutting all ties to my family and Julie then set up a funds for both of them.

I wonder to this day if I should have done that with Julie since day one. When it comes to Julie's safety Scrog would have never happened if I had never came to visit and only sent a check. I'm even more selfish for wanting my family with Steph. I let her in my life knowing something could happen to her or our babies but I've tried staying away from her in the past. She is like my addiction that I can't stay away from.

I was weaker and become distracted when I didn't see her for long periods of time, she is my reason for always fighting to make it back home. Having security in place gives me peace of mind but I rather have her in a guarded compound at all times.

Babe would never allow that to happen but I'd rather an enemy come directly for me then go through her. If I ever lost her or our children the world wouldn't be able to reign me in from the damage I would inflict.

Tank pulled up to the Plum's, I saw Slick close to Babe, she looked upset. I immediately jumped out of the car.

SPOV

Slick and I made our way to the shelter on Clinton. I met a nice volunteer who helped me locate Thomas the magician. In Thomas's past life he told me he had worked in Atlantic City cutting people in half with a saw as well did numerous card tricks. Eventually Thomas got to old to work and became homeless. Mentally Thomas seemed all together. I asked him about the shoe factory in the warehouse district.

He told me it was a big place for gangs to mess around, some times beat up people or do drug deals. I specifically asked about the creepy room and he told me that the door was usually locked so he had never been inside before. He hadn't tried opening it for months.

The only white males he described to me were John's with hookers or people scoring drugs. I wrote his entire statement on my notepad anyway then discreetly gave him some money for his time as well as my card. I looked around the room taking the environment in as a whole. I've never been to a shelter before but this one seemed pretty rundown. There were people of all different races and ages that it was heart breaking to see so much suffering. I admired the volunteers here that had set up different tables for assistance. Whether it was used toys and clothes to hand out to people or a few nurses patching up injuries. I noticed a few social workers walking around trying to assist discreetly too.

I realized I could have ended up here if I didn't have my family at times to put a roof over my head after my divorce or invite me for dinners when I couldn't afford food. Ethan could have put me in foster care then I could have ended up on the streets when I turned 18 with nothing. It softened my heart from some of my anger I had towards Ethan, he made sure I at least went to a family.

I still had anger at my mother though, yes they fed and clothed me, made sure I had schooling but she didn't tell me I was adopted for my protection but her own reputation. I'm sure the Burg would find that interesting. I went back to Melissa the volunteer that had helped me earlier and asked her if anyone else was known to hang around that area. She gave me a microphone and I made an announcement that I needed help and wasn't a cop, instead I was investigating the death of my friend and was hoping for a witness who was around the shoe factory in the last month.

I sat at a table in the corner waiting for information. Five people approached me but it was for money not because they were witnesses. I noticed the smell of booze, blood shot eyes and track marks on them so I didn't provide any cash so they could get a fix. I didn't mind those that needed the help but I wasn't going to provide people with means to hurt themselves either. I thanked Melissa before I left and gave her a card just in case she heard anything suspicious.

Slick and I made our way to my parent's house next. I asked him to wait in the car for me so I could face my parents alone, he only agreed after he negotiated a security sweep of the house. Grandma arrived around the same time as me all dolled up in her pink track suit making me smile. Looking at her directly was blinding.

"Hey baby girl, you ready? I'm dying to know what this is about." She looked excited and I felt sick. I hated confrontation. I especially hated it with my family. I felt fear and guilt suddenly walking up to the door. I'd like to say it was unusual feeling but this has been a normal reaction most of my life.

I know Ranger wanted to come today but he has a business to run and doesn't enjoy emotional stuff like this. Although he is opening up to me more emotionally since we started dating, he isn't an open book all the time and especially not in front of others. I asked Grandma Mazur here today to be my support system because deep down I wanted her to know the truth. My mother opened the front door before we even reached it.

"Stephanie I thought you were dead! Do they not have phones in Florida to call your mother? You missed Thanksgiving too, my friend's daughter's never missed Thanksgiving. You didn't even call me! I've heard you have been home for days where are you sleeping? Is your phone broken?"

I opened up my mouth to defend myself but Grandma Mazur stepped up.

"Put a cork in it Helen were not even in the house yet!"

"Well come in then. I have breakfast on the stove, sit down I'll make you a plate, you look to thin. Have you not been eating, you look tan I see you got sun your glowing." Yeah sunlight is giving me that glow. I rolled my eyes.

She went into the kitchen to make a plate so I sat down with Grandma. Slick checked all the rooms in the house then went back to the car. My father spoke up.

"Who's Buick? Your finally driving American, you can't trust those foreign cars. You should give it the high test then get regular oil changes. You can't go wrong with a Buick." Grandma Mazur agreed. My father seemed happier then I have seen in a long time.

"It's mine. I can afford it after my last case. I started a new business too." My father just continued eating looking down at his plate.

"Have you missed me Frank?" Grandma Mazur asked and he responded "no" immediately. Grandma told him she didn't either. My father went on and on about having the bathroom whenever he wanted and how it was an early Christmas for him.

My mother placed food in front of us with coffee and juice but I wasn't hungry. I'm shocked I wasn't puking from the coffee smell.

"Are you in trouble again? That man was walking around our house and the police were here last night with these kits, they said you have a stalker? Why? Who would want to stalk you? You know you wouldn't have stalkers if you worked at the personal products plant. I stayed up most of the night to watch them while your father went to bed the neighbors wouldn't stop calling." She made the sign of the cross. "Is that why that man is following you?... your not eating..."

"Stop." I said it in a low voice then I said it again in a higher tone. "Stop ma! I know everything about my birth."

My mother gasped and dropped her fork while my father stopped chewing.

"I can't believe he told you! He promised me, how could he!" My mother started looking at the cabinet like she needed a drink so I cut her off.

"Don't even go for that bottle or I will smash it myself." Grandma looked confused. I told the room at large of what Tank had reported to me but left out the knowledge of my biological parents names. Grandma was stunned silent. I've never seen her this surprised in my life, not even when she saw Ranger naked.

"We loved you like our own, we provided for you, you are a Plum..." I raised my hand to stop her.

I turned to my father and looked into his eyes. "I was told you wanted to tell me many times but you didn't because of ma, you should have. I'm mad at you but in time I can forgive you because you didn't do it out of malice." My father just nodded and went back to eating.

I turned to my mother and explained to her that she needed help, that I couldn't live anymore with the constant calls and the guilt from her, that I would never have her life and would never want it. I told her to ignore the neighbors and trust me to call when she needed to know things instead of harping on me and comparing me to everyone including Valerie. I told her I knew Tank dropped off counseling pamphlets and AA support groups. I even offered to help pay for her to go and help pay for a hobby like nursing. I explained that she needed to work on herself and seek help over her loss. I told her I believed she was projecting her loss onto me my whole life and it was time she dealt with it.

I told her if she didn't respect me or my choices I'd ignore her. I mentioned Ranger before she could talk about Morelli and how I was pregnant. She told me she knew this day would come and if I knew who the father was. My eyes bugged out. Of course I knew it was Ranger! I told her my reasons for keeping my pregnancy news only in the family and the reasons she couldn't tell people about my condition.

I told her the consequence for telling anyone or gossiping about me would be me shunning her and keeping her from these babies. Grandma Mazur still hadn't spoken but my mother wanted to know how far along I was so she could start making wedding plans. I told her no wedding and she went for the bottle.

I grabbed it out of her hand and gave it to my father to hold. I told him to stop enabling her, I told him if he wanted to be a Grandfather to his grandson's he would get her help. He was put off at first at the news I was dating Ranger, because he thought he was Black and not even remotely Italian. I told him he was Cuban and I loved him.

Something clicked inside of my dad when he heard he may get Grandson's, he perked up. I explained I saw a seer in Miami and she predicted two boys but it was unconfirmed by the doctor because it was too early. My father was still on cloud nine talking about playing baseball with them.

"Frank how can you be happy! He got her pregnant and won't marry her!"

"We don't want to get married, a piece of paper is not a guarantee!" My control I had practiced with Ranger all of these months was gone, I was back to my old ways of yelling at the table with my family while we all stuffed food in our mouths.

My father looked at my mother "what do you want me to do about it? He is a scary guy, it's not like Albert where I can scare him into marrying Val, Ranger could break me in two, you heard about his reputation, I'm just going to shake his hand and ask he take care of her and the babies." My father turned to me again.

"He will be taking care of you right? Your not moving in? I just got rid of the crypt keeper over here." He used his thumb to point at Grandma who was now broken out of her shock spell, full on yelling at my mother for lying.

"Yes he will and I have a job now that provides for me and them. I promise I will never live here." That was good enough for him, he finished eating and got in his cab saying he knew I would always give him a boy.

My mother was a mess so she started ironing and cleaning up from breakfast lecturing me on how I needed to eat and stop working and learn to cook. I felt so frustrated and angry, she wasn't even listening or trying to change.

I yelled at her. "I'm leaving! I'm not coming for Christmas so don't ask me! When you decide to work on yourself let me know and if you don't, keep quiet about the babies or I will keep them from you! Try me! I'm not the same woman five months ago I'm a mother now too!" It wasn't the most grown up way to handle the situation but I could only take so much. I stormed out but Grandma stopped me at the door. She told me she loved me regardless and apologized for not responding sooner, she was just in shock. I hugged and kissed her goodbye and told her not to worry about it. Slick jumped out of my car and ran over to me. I wanted to crawl in a ball and cry.

"The neighbors are all watching me from their windows Slick... I'm so tired of being the side show freak in this town."

"Your not a freak, your just more interesting then their own meaningless lives, jealous they don't have your courage. Walk proud." I gave him a weak smile. His words were kind but it didn't change how I felt at the moment.

I took a few deep breaths and let my mother's words roll off my back that were circling around in my mind. That I was making a mistake by not marrying, that I couldn't cook and couldn't live in my apartment with two babies. It was like she didn't even listen to me. I couldn't stand being there a second longer.

Slick saw how upset I was as I slammed the front door closed so he stuck close to me and helped me into my car. I was about to turn on the ignition when instead of Slick in the seat it was Ranger. He brushed my stray tear away and kissed my soft lips. He told me if I had called he would have been here sooner for me. I gave him a recap of the events.

"Proud of you Babe." He kissed me again with a lot of tongue.

"I have to go out of town to Rangeman Miami for a day or two. Your welcome to come, you were right about those employees and now I need to handle it." Ranger didn't know many details but I was relieved I didn't waste Silvio's time although I felt bad Ranger having this problem. I would miss him. Since it was only a day or two I declined going with him. I needed to do too much here right now. I mentioned my lunch in a few hours with Royce and Morelli, Ranger didn't seem pleased but told me to call him anytime.

"Don't get shot." I said. He kissed me one last time with a lot of tongue while his hands roamed over my body.

He whispered against my lips "Don't go crazy." And then in a flash was out the door of my car. Slick jumped back into his seat.

"You seem like you need a pick me up" he opened the center console and inside was a raspberry filled cake sealed in plastic and a comedy CD of Gabriel Iglesias aka Fluffy. I started smiling a little.

"I don't know how you did this but thank you."

I popped it into the CD player and shoved the pastry into my mouth, deciding instead of crying on the floor of Ranger's bathroom I would focus on my case. Slick and I had to go to the mall and check out who had the most camera converge of me that was more then five months old from today as well as any other place I wrote down in my notes from the pictures in the factory.

Slick and I went to all the stores I frequent at the mall, major retailers only kept coverage for 30 to 60 days on a DVR unless they found a shoplifter or someone had a fall. Then they copied that particular incident for records and the police. The smaller stores were the same but a lot still used a tape that they re-recorded weekly on. We hit mall security. They kept three months on a DVR then there records erased unless of an incidence. One of the guards use to work at a bank and told me sometimes they kept records three to six months to look for bank robber's scouting out to case the bank but major retailers like Target would be about 30 days only. Although I didn't track down any useful dvd's, the guard was helpful in cutting my list down a lot.

"Where to gumshoe?"

"The only places that aren't stores would be a bank, clinic or hospital. He didn't take any pictures of me at Rangeman, he must have seen Ranger's million cameras everywhere. My cousin Marion is a teller at my old bank, she will get me the tapes I need if they exist but I need to call Randy Briggs an old FTA of mine since he has worked hospital security in the past to get the exterior feeds. I'll text both now to save a trip. I doubt the clinic would give me access to there feeds due to doctor patient confidentiality so Royce can work on them. So Pino's." I looked at the rest of my list, the other places like Giovanni's, The Tasty Pastry along with most other Burg places don't have cameras. I won't waste the time looking, I go there enough to notice anyway.

Slick secured us a booth in the back of Pino's with our backs to the wall. It was just after the lunch rush and only a few people were at tables now. Royce eventually joined us then Morelli.

Joe frowned. "I though we were going to have a private lunch?"

"We need a pow wow, you and Royce wanted to have lunch with me, I thought we could do it together."

Morelli reluctantly sat down across from me. I ordered a meatball sub with a Cobb salad, Slick a Philly cheese steak, Royce a turkey club and Morelli a few slices of Pepperoni pizza.

"When did you start eating salad, you use to fear vegetables?"

I lifted my shoulders at Morelli. "They grew on me the past few months plus it's healthier for me now." Joe knew I was alluding to my condition and seemed sad.

Royce got down to business "What do you got?"

I explained I wrote down who had which pictures in there possessions that I knew about and where the most recent pictures were taken. I told him of the places I was checking for tapes and the clinic he would have to handle. If it was more then six months he may get lucky. I informed him of my last visit and my second to last just in case. I only went to the clinic when I was sick or needed birth control, stitches or major injuries was St. Francis.

We ate in silence for few minutes then I spoke up "I think this guy must have some kind of record or history. It's weird to just wake up one day and see a newspaper article then take someone that has nothing to do with me. Have you ran ex con's in all of the states the victims were from? Anyone with a similar history?"

"It's more names then you would think, he could have done this before with another fixation of someone, acted it out then killed her while discovering you. Honestly if the victim from Vermont's fiance didn't make such a huge deal we wouldn't have even been involved. This isn't considered a high priority case compared to many others. Resources are limited. Psychological profilers are used only on the more gruesome cases due to time and media attention. This guy travels under the radar till now. It's like he purposely picked Violet just to sent up that room to involve you. We didn't even know you were part of this till Morelli spoke up and made the connection on your looks.

I don't think the killer wanted you to know until last night though that you were directly involved. I think he planted that room for you so you would give him attention now. Or he has been following you again recently and can see your investigating so he is reaching out to you for attention. Maybe he even knows about Rex and I investigating too. When we find a victim we talk to everyone in town, grab evidence related to each woman. We always leave out the details of how they look when they are found though when we talk to people so we don't get copy cats, that's procedure."

"You said you didn't recognize most of the college pictures, could he have broken into other people's homes? The year book in the college library?"

"I don't know yet. I need to call people I use to know back then and see. I was only good friends with five people before I met Dickie then we lost touch. Everyone one else was Burg in my life."

"I talked to Ella, she saw the box but assumed it was my cousin's or a family member's since it was in the guest room closet. The killer took it... Her parents took out a second mortgage for her bail so you may see her around town. If she gives you problems I need to know." Joe wouldn't look at me when he spoke about Ella. I could see the guilt he felt about the situation.

"My plan is to look into sedatives and restraints today. I've already researched the makeup, clothes and contact lenses and between online and Walmart the products are easy to purchase with cash."

Morelli spoke up "forensic's tested the spray paint on the building and it wasn't fresh. We also ran down the burner phone but it was unlisted Trenton number, could have been purchased anywhere with cash or even with a fake name."

Royce gave me envelope full of pictures of the crime scene last night as well as the video of the crime scene so I could review it.

"Anything interesting happen when I left?"

"Jeanne Ellen showed up an hour later, somehow got into the room, took her own photos, asked some techs questions. Rex eventually caught her and had her removed."

Slick spoke up "I think she is following us now. I noticed a black Jaguar when we parked, she is a few tables over pretending she doesn't see us. This isn't exactly her kind of place I heard." I looked up and caught her eye then frowned. I was really not in a good mood for her today after dealing with my family. She gave me a big smile and wink. I hated her. She looked beautiful and perfect in her tight Donna Karen leather outfit.

I turned back to the table "does she have anything we should know about?" They both didn't know.

"Anything on the missing victim or the art?"

"Missing victim negative, Jersey's a big place. The art I Googled for a deeper meaning but I need to call an art consultant to see if anything is special about the three works. The poster themselves can be purchased at a museum, online, eBay, amazon. It's a dead end to track it. The room is still being run for DNA and prints today but the killer has been neat and clean so far. We may get lucky because of the amount of items he had to touch but I'll let you know." They both had to get back to work so we said our goodbyes and Slick and I walked passed Jeanne Ellen to leave.

"Shouldn't you be chasing skips, covered in garbage right now? I almost didn't recognize you being so clean and unkempt." Breathe Steph. Just Breathe.

"I'm expanding my skills into investigating. Find anything interesting lately from Violet's ex?"

"You should do your own job, instead of trying to get me to help you, it's pathetic. I don't see why Ranger associates with someone who is as much of a mess as you are. He must really feel he needs to help the less fortunate to work on his karma, a fun amusement that he will drop eventually to find another... We use to laugh about you all the time in bed together after he would give me a nice long fuck... He is quite good with his mouth and fingers." She started giggling and smiling. I was angry.

Slick tried to pull me towards the door to leave while saying something to me but I didn't budge right away.

I pretended like I was going for the door then turned slightly with my hands in front of my body. I quickly raised my fists striking out at her. I hit her in the nose as hard as I could with my right fist then followed quickly by hitting her in the jaw with my left fist just like Ranger had taught me in Greece.

Jeanne Ellen screamed out in pain as she gushed blood all down her face. I even had her blood on my jacket and hands.

Slick grabbed me from behind and lifted me off my feet carrying me out the door before I could punch her again. He was running me to the SUV.

"Ranger is going to kill me! Who the hell taught you Krav Maga."


	33. Chapter 33

SPOV

"Let go of me Slick!"

Slick opened my passenger door then pushed me inside and sped out of Pino's like we were Bonnie and Clyde. He grabbed a roll of paper towels off the floor for me to clean up my hands and coat. I pulled out my Purell to disinfect myself of her whore cooties.

"Freaking slut blood. She is lucky I don't go all Dothraki on her Game of Thrones ass." I started mumbling and Slick started laughing at me.

"I'm sure as hell not giving you a knife, I'd be hiding a body right now... Your pregnant Stephanie, no more punching people. If you need someone hit, give me a nod, a wink, some kind of smoke signal, I'll settle for a freaking battle cry I don't care but I'm the muscle from now on... Where the hell did that even come from?"

I smiled."Ranger but he calls it self defense."

Thinking about Ranger and Cat Woman made my heart hurt. I had a feeling they had been together in the past but to hear her words hurt, to hear my own fears come out of her mouth cut me deep. People are going to say he is still with me because I'm pregnant when I start to show. I felt a tear run down my face.

Slick snorted "Jeanne Ellen will look disfigured in a few hours. The shot to her nose and jaw was really bad. I don't think she will go to the fuzz, she has her own reputation to protect at this point. Filing out a report against you makes her look weak." I didn't even consider being arrested o crap! My mug shot would be everywhere! Slick still seemed worried.

"Ranger won't kill you Slick. I take full responsibility for my actions, you tried to stop me." I pulled out my phone to text Eddie Garza and Morelli.

_Let me know if a warrant goes out for my arrest._

My work phone started blowing up with calls and texts so I silenced it.

"Pino's might have not been the best location for my throw down today, if my cell is blowing up with calls Tank may call you soon. Give me the phone when it does...I don't know where your going but I need to buy a house today. I don't care if it's still early that's where we need to go."

"You don't answer to me, but Ranger is sure as hell going to want to talk about this."

I sighed. "I have nothing to say right now. I'm not going to apologize and his stance is clear when it comes to her. Ranger is on his own team plan and simple. Hopefully your on mine despite your employer when it comes to Cat Woman."

We arrived at the first house and waited for the Realtor. I got out to walk around the property it was huge.

"Not to be in your business but I've heard about Jeanne Ellen, she won't take this lying down especially not against someone with your rep, no disrespect." I knew he wasn't trying to put me down but it was true I did have a unique rep of getting beat up a lot in the past.

"You don't know me well either Slick, I'm just getting started. We need to slim Jim shop after this."

Slick just held his breathe a little "I don't know if I should be excited or afraid anymore." His phone started to ring. Slick made a face.

"Tank... Yo."

Slick started to recount the events and the conversation over to him which made me mad all over again. I ripped the phone out of his hand.

"Tank I acted on my own, Slick tried to stop me but in my condition he didn't want to hurt me by dragging me away. I take full responsibility for my actions but she got what she deserved. If you fire him for this I'll be forced to hire him as my private security where he will report to me alone and if you enforce his non compete clause in his work contract I will hire him as my assistant. Watson to my Sherlock Holmes." Slick looked shocked.

I could hear Tank groaning on the phone "Give Slick back the phone."

They talked for a few minutes then hung up. Slick had a big smile on his face.

"If Ranger calls you next I'm in a meeting. You don't have to lie I'll literary whip out my phone and call anyone in that moment. I really didn't want a confrontation with him right now especially not over the phone." He just nodded.

I think the only reason I'm not in a car to Point Pleasant right now is because Ranger isn't in the state. I wonder if Ranger did laugh at me in bed with her. I wonder how long they dated or slept together. Were they together up until the time we started dating? I felt hurt. Was I that much of an amusement to him that he talked about me with her? Did he do all those kinky things with her? Did he make love to her like he does to me. The questions were never ending. I wanted to crawl into a ball, go home and cry then I realized I don't have a home. I had Ranger's penthouse. This is why I'm here. I need a house I own alone, my safe place.

The Realtor drove up again in her Mercedes. I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries so Lane started showing me the first home in Trenton near the Ewing line. It was a beautiful home, historic yet modern.

"Old world charm with high ceilings, fully updated pipes, bathrooms and kitchen. New electrical and a new tank-less water heater, 6 bedrooms, one which can be turned into the second office you needed, as well as a larger office just off the living room here, as you can see they also used it as a library as well with the wrapped around built in mahogany book shelves. Near the staircase is a nice size corner with some more book shelves, the last owner was an avid reader. You can add a chaise lounge or comfy chair for a book nook to read or relax, a double parlor, living room, dining room and this kitchen has double ovens, walk in pantry, lots of space, marble counter tops, a double copper sink as well as wine storage in the wall next to the fridge." I frowned.

"I don't cook." I moved to the next room. I would never use a formal dinning room, Ranger and I weren't exactly the dinner party types maybe I could make this into a play area instead. Lane walked me downstairs to the basement.

"The basement is split up by this door here. On the right side is a full gym with all new equipment, state of the art included with the home as part of the asking price. On this side the family use this as a screening room for movie nights which is why the floor is multi-leveled only in this section. You can add a mini fridge down here, a snack basket, a popcorn machine, some comfy couches and this wall is where the screen comes out of the ceiling by this button on the wall or by a remote here." She hit the button and the screen came down turning on the projector too.

"Now that is freaking cool. You should have skipped the kitchen and just show people this." Even Slick whistled at the screening room.

"It can be hooked up to the cable for TV as well." I think I was sold already.

We worked our way back to the main level and Lane showed me the laundry room which was large with new appliances and extra storage, as well as the mud room that led to the attached garage. We went up the first level of stairs and the bedrooms were large with built in closets and beautiful crown molding.

"Three and a half baths in this home, the master suite was upgraded with a full walk in closet, his and hers as well as a whirlpool tub with shower, double sinks." I looked at the closet, it was as large as Ranger's but not like Violet's. I frowned. That was the only down side so far. Slick spoke up.

"You can always bring in someone to expand it or reorganize, add shelves or panels, paint can be changed too in rooms. It's the bones of the home that are important." I nodded thanks.

The other bedrooms were nice as well as the bathrooms. We turned a corner for another small amount of stairs.

Slick spoke up "This area can be sectioned off with a hidden door or bookcase to create that secret room you mentioned or a panic room for security. My mood was improving I always wanted a secret room.

"This use to be an attic, it was converted for an extra bedroom or playroom but you can add cabinets and turn it into storage too. The house itself is made of wood and brick with five working fireplaces throughout. It doesn't have a fence but one can be built because it is on two acres of land which is a lot more then you requested but it has all of your requirements including a new three car garage. The backyard has plenty of space for a playground, no hills around and a pool could be added eventually. It's only been on the market for three days and only shown a few times. Asking price is below market value at $265,000, five years ago it sold for $365,000. The owners have to move for work and can't handle the mortgage anymore."

I had a good feeling about this place "Although it is a lot of land maybe I could pay Mooner or someone to mow the lawn for me. Can I see the one sheet for the other homes you wanted me to check out today." I really liked this house it was large but not a mansion. It felt good.

I looked and read the five other sheets. The other houses were more expensive and needed other updates or looked super traditional, not me exactly. This one was older but completely updated without losing the charm. The other homes just didn't feel right. I don't know if it was my hormones or my anger from the events of the day but this is the home I wanted. With or without Ranger I saw myself here raising the babies.

"I want it. I can pay by check, how does this work?"

Lane seemed shocked "you don't want to see the other homes?"

"No. I have this feeling, it's the same feeling from when I picked my last apartment. This is it."

Slick spoke up "you don't want Ranger to check it out first?" He looked nervous.

"It's my money I don't need permission, if he doesn't like it, he has his penthouse. Unless you can give me a major security flaw where this place can't be secured for me then I want it."

Slick thought about it "it needs a high fence no question, scanners, a security system, multiple cameras, bullet resistant glass but nothing that couldn't be secured among a few other things." I nodded.

"Lane?"

"My assistant is drawing up the offer now. I'm texting the Realtor as we speak and I can have the papers done in the next 30 minutes. The deal will go through as long as the inspection comes back clean, I'd suggest going at asking so it doesn't become a bidding war."

"Fine. How fast to get an inspector and then how fast can I close?"

"If your willing to pay a little extra for the rush, I can get an inspector here by the end of the day as soon as the Realtor accepts from the owners. I'm calling Douglas for a title search now to make sure your protected from judgments against the property but my guess is a week at most maybe 4 days. Let's head to my office to sign the offer."

We all got back into our cars. Lane was practically dancing.

"I don't think you should buy a house while your upset. It's a lot of money, your upset with Ranger but you should talk to him, he would want to know about this."

I looked at Slick's eyes "Ranger could drop me tomorrow without a second thought. I deserve to have a home and a safety net, I can afford it by myself. I'm my own person, I have two babies inside of me as we speak who are counting on me, so don't lecture me about buying a home. I have no guarantee in this life but I at least have somewhere to go instead of a shelter, so don't."

"He would never put you on the streets, he isn't that kind of man despite his street rep. Your pregnant with his children, Ranger wouldn't do that and if he did, the men would lose all respect for him. I would lose respect for him."

"If that day comes at least I have somewhere to go. Tell me you wouldn't do the same thing as me right now." I let the tears fall from my face and checked both of my phone's. No messages from Ranger, just the Burg and my mother. I scrolled through them deleting them all.

"I would but I'd hear him out first anyway."

A nurse at St. Francis sent me a picture of Jeanne Ellen's face, she had a broken nose that was now curved and bumpy, her jaw was swollen like she had a plum in her mouth. Two black eyes from the nose punch too. I started laughing. Not so perfect now.

Slicked looked at the picture and grimaced.

"Yeah she is definitely coming for you. Your gun's loaded right? I'm putting a flank vest under your jacket from now on."

I thought he was joking but he didn't laugh. I checked my other messages and they were a mixture of congrats, to asking for details. Lula and Connie were upset they didn't see it in person and then I had one from Vinnie.

_You must have a death wish, start sucking Ranger's Johnson for protection now then come back to work when this PMS episode ends. I'm drowning here you owe me for giving you a job in the first place._

I groaned "After Lane's take me to get a freaking birthday cake, a big one."

Tank POV

When the control room alerted me that the police scanners were dispatched to Pino's and Steph's trackers said she was there I got worried. Then I received calls telling me Steph punched Jeanne Ellen not once but twice! Ranger going to be pissed was an under statement. He has only been gone a few hours and all hell breaks loose. I track Steph and saw she was in her car driving away. Regardless of the situation Jeanne Ellen had to have provoked her causing the cat fight. She didn't just attack people with out cause. I made a call to Bennie, he emptied her safety deposit boxes for me before and I wanted her bankrupt now.

"Ya."

"Empty it, your payment for the job."

He was silent for several minutes but I heard typing "all names, all accounts done."

I wouldn't kill her yet, Ranger and I still needed to know her relationship to Cross first to see if Ranger had been compromised by her so I called her shadow.

"Report Pino's."

"Mark exited her car after Miss Plum parked. Mark then broke into Miss Plum's Buick and placed several trackers and bugs in and on the car. Car clean now. Mark entered Pino's for one hour then exited after Miss Plum was carried out by Slick, placed inside her SUV then exited the lot. Mark appeared injured in the face, got into her car, now she is at St. Francis emergency room."

"Report any actions of her regarding Stephanie. Assist if her two guards fail, her protection comes first."

I called Slick wanting to know why he didn't hit the panic button.

"Report"

Slick explained to me the situation and how he tried to remove her peacefully but Steph snapped and hit Jeanne Ellen with a Krav Maga combination punch. When did she learn that?

Slick told me what Jeanne Ellen said to Steph and how she instigated the meeting. He whispered Steph was very upset and couldn't report in until he made sure the threat wasn't following them. He reported no injuries other then a little swelling of her fists. Now they are currently house hunting for an investment property but Steph was extremely pissed and Ranger needs to talk to her soon.

That viper. I could just snap her neck myself. Ranger screwed her once and it wasn't in a bed I know that for sure. I doubt he told Jeanne Ellen anything about Stephanie since he barely tells me anything about her. This is Ranger's own damn fault, he should have warned Steph and mentioned what happened between the viper and him. Such a dumb ass.

Steph got on the phone angry and took responsibility over the situation to protect Slick. Slick was still going to be reprimanded in some way but I believed Steph acted in self defense. I couldn't fault her, hell I was jealous I didn't get to punch the viper.

Steph seemed upset. I didn't want to add to her stress level or get into Ranger's business so I told Slick to watch her back and report anything suspicious or if she does anything crazy. I was concerned about Steph and Slick's relationship. She said she would hire Slick if we fired him. That mentality undermines our authority over him if they continue to work together. Ranger's going to lose his shit when I tell him this.

When I got the text Steph was signing papers for a house a while later, I knew she was in a crazy state. I told Slick to try and change her mind or wait for Ranger but she was head strong. Ranger was going to kill me no doubt. It's only been a few hours. I groaned and rubbed my face with both of my hands as I made the call to him. Voice mail.

"You need to call me about Steph and Jeanne Ellen, Steph is fine but I have a situation I'm handling and you need to call your woman after you speak to me, not before."

RPOV

I worked on my paper work during my flight. It took longer to land because of a storm brewing in Miami and I wasn't pleased. One of my men picked me up from the airport and took me to Rangeman Miami. I made my way down to the cell's and noticed Santos wiping his hands from his interview with our guests. Both men were sitting in the interrogation room beaten bloody, tied to a chair.

"Report."

"Auggie knew Harley since childhood, same neighborhood until Harley moved away in high school. They both eventually became Seal's. Auggie joined Rangeman six months ago in computer operations and logistics. As far as Hector can tell nothing was altered until two months ago. Auggie changed Harely's background, hiding assault records from his time in the Seal's as well as changing his military record. Auggie ran the background check when Harley first applied making it look perfect.

Harley has been here three months but 2 months ago started skimming money out of our petty cash reserves and removing ammo and guns from the safe, the unregistered ones. Auggie and Harley covered their tracks with each other by being on duty when the other was doing something on the control room floor during there shifts.

I sent a team to there homes and it looks like they planned on hitting certain homes in the coming months for robberies that they themselves did installs on and altered certain software to get in and out on those particular accounts.

I also found several bottles of prescription drugs stolen, they seem to be selling it on the side. All papers have been taken for those accounts and I have increased the security of those accounts at no extra charge to the client's in case someone else was working with them. They said it was just the two of them but you can check as well. I've already made them an example to the men here for what happens when you are disloyal.

How did your woman know anyway? Women's intuition? Gypsy Blood? I didn't even see this and you know I watch the cameras all the time from my office. Spooky shit I'm telling you, like Abuela Rosa. She could smell a lie a mile away and smack you upside the head before you opened your trap or got in the door. I still have a ghost injury to this day from where she hit me right here on my head." He shook his head.

Yup that's why I avoided Abuela Rose too. She is the only person that knows when I lie to this day.

"Hector is checking all the records Auggie altered about the money and guns as well as checking any other accounts they had access too." I checked my phone and saw no missed calls. I placed it on silent to start my interrogation now.

"After I'm finished get rid of them. Start looking at everyone now. I want to know if anyone else helped them or is dirty. Look over the accounts they planned to hit too and see if there is a pattern."

I asked them many questions and hit them over and over. I took out a lot of aggression I had been holding onto all day. When I got my answers they were both barely alive. Miguel cleaned up the mess and destroyed any evidence that the two men were ever in the room.

I could have turned them over to the police but I looked at the assaults Harley had done over the years. Harley hurt these women badly, some even sexually while Auggie helped him cover it up instead of reporting him. I don't know how I could have missed this. I've met them both a few times when they were contract workers but I didn't get a vibe once. Maybe if I had come down here to check this building more often I would have picked it up. I had the pulse on my men in Trenton, here Santos does, that needed to change.

I cleaned up downstairs then went to my penthouse to take a shower. I put on fresh clothes from the closet and made my way down to my office to review the rest of the men with Santos. Miguel was assigned to dispose of the garbage so we both sat down for lunch reviewing Steph's notes.

"Why doesn't she work for Rangeman? She's good, the points she makes in each file remind me of something you would write or mark."

"I don't know. She hates searches and pantyhose she told me."

"Hell she doesn't have to wear panties let alone hose."

I glared at him, he maybe family but no one disrespects her. "Tread carefully, Miguel can dispose of you as well."

"Wow I haven't seen jealous Ranger since high school, finally that Cuban temper is showing again. I pity the bastards in Trenton." He had his hands up in mock surrender.

"I'd offer her sales or something else but she likes investigating. We don't have many break ins in Trenton that warrant a department for her so I keep her on as a contract worker and bring her in as needed... I'm having issues finding her a partner, you would be perfect for her but I need someone like you. Any suggestions?"

"Yeah I heard about her condition from the family and about her new business from Tank. Congratulations I guess. You a daddy man, the names alone I love. Bat Daddy, Rangedad, Papi." I raised an eyebrow at him and he shut up. Wise. I don't know Woody, Tank, Cal, Miguel or Austin. Personalities are hard to mesh until people work together."

"She requested Slick again, I'm concerned."

"Ya he likes the ladies but he knows you'd cut his dick off. If Steph is trusting someone you need to let it play out. She needs someone with her when you can't be. The more she bonds with someone the more she will protect him which is why we always do a rotation for the men on guard accounts but from what I heard about her she needs the stability. You need to make it clear Slick works for you in the end to both of them I guess...Julie knows about Steph being pregnant. She told her bodyguard the other day so news spread like wild fire in this building. Marisol wants to throw a baby shower, she is already planning the games and I didn't have the heart to tell her no. I thought you could kill her joy." That perked up my ears.

"I haven't even told Julie yet... she doesn't speak to my family...Rachel."

I shook my head. I was getting angry again. "Rachel is a really good mom to Julie but she is starting to piss me off. I asked her not to tell anyone because I wanted too. And this bullshit with her guards means I need to make a visit there this trip. I can't be dealing with everything on top of Rachel anymore. I have new responsibilities to Steph that I need to focus on, we need to have a meeting with Tank to promote a new manager under Tank."

"Stop giving Rachel so much money maybe she will stop calling you. I know you like visiting Julie a few times a year but she doesn't even call you Dad. You have no legal obligation to them. If your worried about Julie so much make the checks directly to a conservator that Rachel needs to talk too to get the cash or make Rachel start giving receipts to the conservator to track the money.

I believe Rachel isn't just supporting Julie but herself and the two other kids in a more lavish lifestyle then her husband provides. They live in a modest home but the furniture and clothes they all sport are not cheap. I don't see Ron spending your cash at least, he works for his own but your guilt is bullshit. You need to get over it before your milked dry by her. I'm not taking Rachel's calls anymore either, now I have Ramsey listen to her."

"Stay out of my business. I didn't ask your opinion on Rachel." I understood what Santos was saying. I did give a ton of money to Rachel but I felt a lot of guilt in her raising Julie alone and especially after Scrog. Rachel took that incident harder then Julie so I was just trying to make it right in the only way I could. In four years Julie will have her college fund for school then her trust fund at twenty five and I won't have to deal with Rachel anymore except in writing checks for the private schooling for Rachel's other two children till they turned 18, then it will just be bodyguards I provide.

Steph always worried about me bleeding money for her but it wasn't even a fraction of what I was giving Rachel every month so I never minded. At least Steph needed the protection, a car and was thankful for my help. Rachel... I didn't know anymore she has changed in thirteen years a lot.

I knew how Rachel spent the money I gave her and as long as she used most of it for Julie's needs and activities I was fine with it. If that changed then I would get a conservator to issue the checks to pay for activities directly for Julie. Rachel had me by the balls though and she knew it, at anytime she could tell me I'm not welcomed in Julie's life anymore and I would have to legally abide by that because I had no rights. I purposely kept sending checks all these years so I was able to see Julie a few times a year. I needed to know Julie was taken care of for my own piece of mind... Santos phone started ringing off the hook with text messages.

"O shit your woman has some fire in her belly, those Cuban babies must have lite her up to cause this amount of damage." My heart stopped. I grabbed his phone. I saw Jeanne Ellen, her face badly messed up, bruised, broken and swollen. Underneath the photo the caption said Mama bear beats up Cat woman. My heart stopped. If Jeanne Ellen looks like this what does Steph look like and why wasn't I called?

I checked my phone. I forgot I had put it on silent. I has fifteen messages and ten missed calls. I called Babe right away and got her voice mail.

"Santos call Tank I can't reach her."

I called Slick and his phone went to voice mail too. What-the-fuck! I called Babe again. I was starting to get my bag to go to the airport when I heard Tank's voice fill the room from the speaker phone.

"Rangeman calm down she is fine." Tank explained the altercation and I could have killed Jeanne Ellen. I knew Babe had an emotional day with her family but Steph put herself in danger by striking her. Babe could have been injured or Jeanne Ellen could have punched her stomach causing her to lose our babies. I was filled with so much rage by the words that viper said to my woman. Tank told me he bankrupted her accounts and the tail we placed on her lost her after the hospital. Tank also told me Babe was looking for a house and was signing papers today. My heart dropped. Babe is running. She is running and I am in freaking Miami dealing with this shit.

"Tank I see her car is parked on the side of the road in Trenton and neither Slick or her are picking up, patch me to her shadow. I heard a few beeps then Ramon's voice.

"Sit Rep."

"Stephanie is currently throwing up on the side of the road and Slick is helping her with her hair and keeping her upright so she doesn't fall over, before this incident she purchased a large cake from the Tasty Pastry 20 minutes ago." My heart stopped.

"Take her to Robert Wood Hospital. I want her fully checked out, blood pressure, scans, get her hands checked too. I don't care if you have to stand in front of the hospital door to keep her in that hospital room but she is going right now. Tank get there until she is cleared and call her doctor. I'm leaving now."

I called the plane and let them know I was returning.

"Cuz you need to go. I got this mess and we will handle issues over the phone and computer. I've never seen you act like this... you really care about her.." I just nodded and grabbed my things. I was scared, angry, pissed, I left for one freaking day and all hell broke lose. How am I suppose to leave her for weeks let alone months when this shit happens and I'm in the wind.

I called Steph's phone again and Slick picked up. "Sir, she can't come to the phone right now, she won't stop throwing up and she has had a really hard day. I received orders from Tank already." I could hear Babe crying, some of my anger about her running off buying some house I never saw subsided. She did have a rough day between her family, lunch with Morelli and then what Jeanne Ellen had said to her.

"Tell her I'm on my way."

SPOV

"Slick I don't need a hospital. I just had too much cake, I was eating my feelings, it's what I do. I'm not going to the hospital. I don't care what Ranger said."

"I'm following orders. Tank is meeting us there and he will sit with you. I'm guarding the door. I think your dehydrated and having a really shitty day, if nothing else let them check your blood pressure for the sake of your babies. Please."

I touched my stomach. I did feel really shitty and I've been warned numerous times about the dangers of my high blood pressure. I'm such a shitty mom. Who gets into a fight while pregnant, who tries to eat a whole birthday cake in one sitting.

"Fine."

I started sniffling again and tried to hide my face out towards the window so Slick couldn't see the tears streaming down. I thought of my mother's words earlier about how I wasn't prepared for motherhood and I wasn't. I started getting really depressed and letting the sobs rack my body. Slick looked concerned and didn't know what to do. He kept asking me if I was hurt or in pain and I couldn't respond. He drove faster and made a few calls on the car phone but I just hid my face in my hands. I hated crying and I especially hated doing it in front of someone but my day was just hitting me so hard all at once that I couldn't stop myself. I wanted to go back to Greece, to a time I was happy and people weren't harping on me and calling me non stop. I wanted to go back to my confident self instead of this old Stephanie. I felt the car stop and my door open.

Tank lifted me out of my seat and carried me bridal style inside. He had a doctor waiting for me and they took me to a private room and tried to ask me questions but I just cried. Tank laid on the hospital bed with me, holding me close to him, telling me Ranger was on the way and brushing my hair out of my face. Tank offered to show me some cat pictures, he offered me money, a car, anything to just stop crying but I couldn't. Finally he just told me to let it out and hugged me to him while patting my back. Eventually Tank let me go so they could put a gown on me and hook me up to IV's and monitors. The doctor's were talking to Tank and Dr. Dobbs came running in to check my chart. Tank talked to him and they started checking my body for injuries, my bruises on my hands but I just hung on to Tank. I felt him tense and uncomfortable but he felt very warm which was comforting. I started settling down when I heard the heart beats and Tank looked at the screen in awe. He never saw anything like this before.

"You see that little girl, you need to calm down for them, you need to protect them. The rest we can handle. Rangeman's got your back."

I started whimpering about my horrible day and why I'm a terrible mother. The nurses and Dr. Dobbs told me what I was feeling was normal and the boost in hormones was making me feel more emotional. Tank reminded me I had Ella and Mary Lou everyday and that both were already on the way here to be with me. I told Tank to call them back and tell them not to come but he said they told him they were coming, he didn't ask them too. Tank just kept his hands around my shoulder the entire time and I rested against him.

Both women showed up to calm me down and I told them all about my day. Ella told me Slick should have punched Jeanne Ellen. Ella is the sweetest person in the world, if she thought Cat Woman deserved to be hit, she deserved it then. They helped me with my motherhood insecurities but I still had relationship insecurities.

Eventually both women had to go and the only thing I still felt insecure about was Ranger. I still hadn't heard from him. The doctor came in and told me my blood pressure was too high so I had to spend the night and then definitely be on best rest for at least a week. I was heart broken. How was I suppose to work if I can't leave a bed. Tank reminded me that the babies were more important and I could set up a mobile work station anywhere and send my bodyguard for my needs that day but it wasn't the same.

Tank spoke up "I admire you that you hit her but the shit she told you is lies. You can't let her get to you in your condition. It's Ranger's business and story but you need to hear him out instead of running to go buy a house to get away from him."

I sighed "I know I'm just afraid of what he will say, will he confirm certain fears of mine you know. I've never felt secure in a relationship since Dickie and I'm just waiting for Ranger to walk out. I don't feel good enough for him."

"Your crazy. He is bat shit crazy over you. You need to talk about this with him. Does owning a home make you feel more secure in your relationship?" I thought about it for a few minutes.

"Yes, I even thought we could live there together if he wanted too." I pulled out the one sheet and Tank read it over. He whistled and thought it was a great property. He told me the modifications that would be done and said Ranger would like it a lot and if this is what I needed I had to make that clear to Ranger.

"Your right little girl their is no guarantee in life let alone a relationship, any of us could die tomorrow especially in our line of work but you should give him the benefit of the doubt next time and when your insecure tell him before you run off half cocked. You need to start cherishing every moment of the day together and leave the fear behind or your right, your going to drive him away and make both of yourselves miserable... Ranger should be here soon and you need to rest. He kissed my forehead.

"Thanks Big guy." I realized what Tank was saying was true. By letting jealousy and irrational thoughts cloud my mind, my fears of thinking Ranger would leave eventually would cause him to leave. I just need to take it one day at a time and focus on that now then over my own crazy thoughts. I felt my more confident self reappearing again.

"Hey Big guy, will you design the security for my new house? I just want to keep everyone away so I can escape and feel like I'm not in a snow globe anymore."

He just hugged me closer to him "I'll start right now." I rested my eyes and just let my day leave my body again while I kept my hand on my stomach.

RPOV

I landed and Hal took me to the hospital I had a report Babe was stable but dehydrated and her blood pressure was too high so she had to stay over night and be on bed rest a minimum of one week. I rubbed my hand over my face. I'm taking too much on, I need to talk to Tank about adding someone to management so I could handle the big picture from now on. Tank prefers the street like me but I need someone helping me for a while. I hated that I needed help. Weakness is not my strong suit and puts me in a foul mood.

I feel like I'm exhausted and being pulled in multiple directions. I've never had this feeling before, my life use to be simple. I only had to take care of my myself and now I have a mess with Rachel, Jeanne Ellen, Rex, Babe, Rangeman. The only thing that would make this day worse is going in the wind at this moment. I take a few deep breaths and calm myself before I get to the hospital.

Tank placed Babe under an alias for protection Diana Prince, Wonder Woman's secret identity. I'm sure she loved that. I saw Slick and received his account and update. I told him next time he let something like this day happen he was gone and we would be speaking tomorrow on the mats. He just nodded. I took another breathe and saw Tank writing on some papers and Babe asleep on his arm.

I felt a pang of jealousy. I wanted to kick his ass but I noticed Babe's face. Puffy eyes, tear stained checks. She became my sole concern.

Tank told me everything she told him, showed me the house she picked out and his modifications. Tank told me about her insecurities about our relationship and being a mother. We have never had this conversation before, neither of us enjoyed it one bit.

I understood how she felt, I was terrified one day she would run away and I won't be able to find her if we had a fight. We needed to talk. I thanked my friend and dismissed him. I took his position in bed and pulled her close to my body checking her for injuries. Her hands were swollen so I kissed each one. Although I've heard Slick's account I still wasn't happy she attacked that bitch even though she deserved it. I may just have to take her out myself at this point to get rid of the headache she is causing our relationship. If she had laid one finger on Babe I would be hunting her down as we speak.

I looked at the house Steph had picked and it was us. I never had that thought before. I saw us raising the babies there, it had a gym and a office for me, a dream bathroom for her. I saw the two acres that would allow me to set up protection for us. I sent a text to Tank to look up the surrounding area to see if I could buy up the land or houses near by to extended our perimeter of our new little fortress. I left my hand on her stomach and let my my drift.

Eventually Babe's eyes opened. I loved looking into them. The crystal blue, the innocence.

"I'm sorry Carlos, I'm..." I put my finger to her lips.

"I love you Babe nothing else matters." I brought her into my body placing her head on my neck.

I told her about what Tank had told me regarding her fears and insecurities, I shared mine. I told her about my relationship with Jeanne Ellen but most importantly I told her how the only woman I have ever cared about was her. It would break me if she ever ran away and I couldn't find her, how I loved the home she picked and understood her need for security. I asked to live there with her after the improvements and security was setup.

Our own private Greece in Jersey. The thought made me happy. Babe and I still had a lot of work in our relationship to cover but this was our first milestone we navigated. It made us stronger as a couple in the end.

In a few hours Babe would be released and I decided to work from my penthouse office until she was off bed rest. Ella could also sit with Babe this week when I wasn't around due to meetings.

I nipped my woman's neck and ear playfully.

"Babe I saw the damage to Jeanne Ellen's face, I've never been so proud yet turned on by what you did before." She gave me a dazzling smile. I kissed her, letting my hands touch every inch of her.

The doctor told me no sexual activity for 48 hours but gentle love making was allowed after that until her bed rest was lifted. I would have to take a lot of cold showers the next few days but I couldn't wait to show Steph just how much I loved every inch of her, how no one in my mind existed before her.


	34. Chapter 34

SPOV

Two weeks have passed since my night in the hospital. My bed rest has finally been lifted and now it is the day before Christmas Eve. I developed a small baby bump that Ranger noticed before I did. In my defense I had been wearing mostly shorts or yoga pants so I didn't notice the tightness of real pants but one morning I woke up to Ranger giving my tummy open mouth kisses and bam I saw it. The babies are both the sizes of oranges this week and my energy level is high for once. I can't stop propositioning Ranger either not that he complains. He says my libido has been more extreme then my normal jelly doughnut hormones, joking he should have put a baby inside me years ago.

I was happy about my bump but at the same time sad I was getting fat. I wasn't Valerie sized but my pants were tight. Ranger on the other hand became particularly horny by the sight of my bump and couldn't get out of bed with me that day for the gym.

Ranger spent the majority of the two weeks in the penthouse office. When he had meetings, Ella was with me. I was fine alone but Ella liked talking to me and spending time with another woman. Ella discussed the layout I wanted for Christmas for the apartment since I couldn't go out to shop for a tree or decor with her anymore.

I told her simple but festive. She is like house elf turning the penthouse into a magical wonderland even with fruit rolled in frosted sugar for different centerpieces with the flowers. Ella picked up stockings for us and a simple tree Tank set up for me. When Ranger walked in later that day he was frozen in place, he was so surprised since he has never decorated for Christmas before since he was a kid. Deep down I think he was ok with it because I was happy.

Over the last two weeks I had Slick pick up my mail so I could wrap up everyone's gifts I ordered online. Ranger and I had a long conversation over Slick as well, he asked me not to tell any of his men I would hire them privately if they were ever fired in the future because it undermined his leadership of them now. Fear in this line of work was a tool he used to keep the men at peak performance.

I explained I didn't want Slick fired because of my actions. We had a calm rational discussion, understanding each other's point of view. It's still a mind trip we don't have knock down screaming fights like Morelli and I had but I like this much better.

Ranger's new Porsche was delivered on time, Tank test drove it around then delivered it to Al who had plenty of time to add the security adjustments. Tank kept one set of keys to deliver it to Rangeman Christmas morning and I wrapped another in a box for Ranger to open Christmas morning. I even had Ella track down a huge bow and tag to place on the car that she hid in her apartment. When most people get a new car they scream and jump up and down like a crazy person, that's not Ranger so I'm curious to see his response.

Tonight I'm dropping by my friends and family to give them my gifts for them. My mother called me several times to force me to come to Christmas with several techniques, guilt, shame, badgering but I held strong and just ignored her. It was difficult but she had to learn. I did call my dad though and he wanted me to stop by eventually because he bought me a baby gift. I've never seen him this excited over one of Val's pregnancy's it's a little strange.

Lane my Realtor also helped me secure my new house! I was so excited. Ranger and I agreed to start physically securing the property in January and just work on plans this month. He spoke about adding a guest cottage eventually for extra security when needed or any help we may employ such as a nanny or house keeper. I left it open to discussion for the future but I wasn't at that point in my mind yet. I also felt weird about hiring help.

When Ella heard I bought a home she couldn't wait to decorate and begged me to be involved. I told her she didn't have too but she said it was a hobby for her and brought over every magazine, board, clippings and paint colors she had in her apartment.

I explained I needed a bed just like Ranger's as my major splurge and all comfy couches. Everything else could be nice but not super over the top expensive like things in the penthouse. I didn't want to waste the money on a name or get upset if I spilled something that cost more then one of my old cars. Ella made a design board for each room and started adding colors and furniture pictures so I could get an idea of what she was thinking while I worked on my case.

I asked Ranger his opinion after dinner's and he just wanted a large desk for his office and a comfy chair and a good mattress otherwise he didn't care because it already had a perfect gym for him and plenty of space to run around the property when he wanted to be outside. He loved how the wine fridge was already built into the wall of the kitchen like at the liquor store and regretted he never thought of that for this penthouse for his wine. I asked Ella to look for a unique pieces of furniture and possibly an antique desk for Ranger's office. He spent so much time in it I wanted it to be relaxing.

For my office I wanted one of the rooms that had a fire place and lots of storage, comfortable chairs and couches but I wanted more of a table then a traditional desk since it was mostly for research with a mini fridge and snack section.

The dinning room was difficult, I explained to Ella, Ranger and I weren't dinner party people so we should just skip that room but she found this beautiful farm table with benches on the long sides and chairs with arms that could go on the ends. I really loved it wasn't traditional. I saw kids coloring at it or me working on projects so I agreed.

I'm not one for paint but she picked warm neutral colors that gave the flow of the house as comfort instead of formal. She was an amazing decorator. The house was already amazing but she raised it to this new level taking into consideration Ranger's upscale tastes with my need for comfort and function. I told Ella the screening room needed a snack cart and she found an antique trolley cart. Loved it! Very Harry Potter on the train to Hogwarts.

While the gym was Ranger's domain that screening room was mine. I knew I would use it more then any other room in the house hands down. I also wanted a little area to keep our DVD collection down there and a place for popcorn and cold drinks. Unfortunately it didn't have a bathroom in the basement but Ranger looked at the plans and found an area where one could be put in so he could use it too after working out. Tank told me he was thinking about moving into that area near us as well because his lease is almost up on his home.

The only thing Ranger wanted to add was a panic room to the house but I still don't know where it would go, he mentioned one of the extra bedrooms as a possibility. The only room we didn't make any decision on and will stay empty for a few months is the nursery. I wanted confirmation on the gender's first to be sure.

Ella is still working on the parlor room, she wanted to put a piano there but neither Ranger and I played so that wasn't happening. Ella's new goal since I didn't want anything too formal was a sitting/play area for the kids or a TV room. The attic is still an unknown room as well. It could be another bedroom, office or the panic room.

Ranger and I decided to RSVP to Julie's birthday this week. Ranger wanted me to be apart of her life and share in her day in case anything ever happened to him, he asked me to watch over her. I was wildly curious about Ranger's ex wife, last time she was in town she grabbed Julie from Rangeman and got on the next plane out of Jersey without even visiting Ranger in the hospital. I decided not to research Rachel first before meeting her, I wanted a natural impression of her instead of an informed opinion.

When I found out Julie was first missing, Connie had done a simple background on Rachel. It said she was a stay at home mom with 3 kids and Ron was a plumber. Lenny Mary Lou's husband was one too. I never did an in depth search because in the past I didn't have access to search at will with Rangeman but when I did, Ranger would have known since it was his resources.

I'll decide after I meet Rachel if I will search her since its only two weeks away. Going to Julie's birthday also gives me a chance to check out my Florida victims environment and speak to people I have left messages for that have not returned my calls.

Some days on bed rest were great in the penthouse, I hysterically laughed at the women on _The Bachelor, _I never watched the show till this season but I couldn't get enough. I was wildly entertained that even Ranger caught a few peaks from his office.

Other days I was crawling up the walls, those days Ranger would carry me down to the war room to look at the board and think about my case. Slick usually came in to sit with me and help me make calls. He also helped me last week write information and details about the woman who have been kidnapped and killed to submit to numerous papers.

January was coming and I still didn't have many leads and I wanted the public warned. Two days later the Trenton Gazette ran the story then multiple newspapers after that. Rex not pleased was an understatement, I heard he had a shit fit according to Royce. I think deep down Royce knew I was the leak but didn't tell anyone, he understood my reason. However, information was on lock down now from the task force.

When I needed a break from the case in the war room, Slick would teach me odd things he knew. One of those things was how to beat a lie detector test. Slick taught me the difference between relevant and control questions and when I was asked a control question they were trying to pinpoint my anxiety levels. To throw the test off I needed to flex my anus on those questions. I thought he was messing with me so I looked it up and it was true! He had me practice an impassive face and level breathing while emptying my mind by focusing on my task like counting tiles in the room or decorating a room in my mind so I didn't over think the questions.

Eventually he "borrowed" a machine from somewhere and had me practice. After our third round I could beat it. It cheered up my whole week and I bragged about it to Tank and Ranger who were amused. Slick also started to teach me the art of pick pocketing. I practiced on him a lot then tried it on Ranger one night but Ranger is hyper aware of his wallet and keys, he was not pleased with what Slick was teaching me but promised to not interfere as long as it was making me happy.

I eventually did hear from Maggie Austin's boss and security from her apartment building but they had nothing on her disappearance. They both said she wasn't chatty on her personal life and kept to herself. My cousin from the bank came through with the bank security tapes of the exterior but I didn't see anyone suspicious on the days I went. Randy Briggs told me the hospital tapes only recorded every three months then erased so it was a dead end. Royce couldn't get the clinic tapes but a nurse confirmed monthly they record then erase. It seemed like Rangeman was the only one that kept records for years so I asked Ranger if I could access the exteriors feeds from the days I had been here in the past three years. He agreed and Slick and I watched them looking for anyone suspicious that conceded with my fob logs. We are still looking at them. My stalker was smart that much I figured out.

My case has hit a bit of a stall. I researched sedatives and I found thirty six normal ones that didn't even include mixtures people would make that were illegal so I kept my list on the back burner. Restraints on the other hand was more interesting. People could purchase bondage rope which is softer then real rope, padded cuffs, pvc tape, soft or padded fabric like a scarf, lined cuffs for ankle and wrists or a straight jacket. Those items sounded more like Violet's style but all could be purchased easily online that don't leave marks.

Tox screens also didn't show all Benzodiazepines sedatives. If a person don't ingest a sedative for 44 hours prior to a test your body could process it out of your system too. Online I discovered you can take certain pills to clean out your system faster too so I added it to the war room boards.

It's all very complicated and I'm not a doctor so I forwarded my findings to Royce since he had access to the Trenton tech's. I discovered most screens check for amphetamines or narcotics but not everything comes up unless the tech runs more expensive and extensive tests. Most of these areas didn't when the bodies were first found because the cities were small. I found it interesting in my research most plants and arsenic don't show up on a regular screen either, Violet died from a plant. Rex or Royce must have requested the extra test.

I finished doing deep backgrounds on all of the victims and left more messages for their family and friends to call me back but being so close to a holiday I haven't received many. I got ready for my visit to Valerie's.

I met Slick in the garage.

"Holiday plans?"

"Nah, not close to my family, I'll be your guard when you go out otherwise I'm on monitor duty."

I felt sad for Slick, that's pretty much what I offered to do too. Ranger and I planned a romantic dinner on 7 for an hour or two on Christmas Eve and I offered to be an extra person on duty to watch the monitors when the men needed bathroom break or dinner since I wanted to work more on my case anyway on that floor. I had the same plan Christmas day although Ella was making a fancy feast for those on duty before she left for her sister's for dinner.

Slick pulled up to Val's house and she opened the door just like my mother does before I even get there. It must be a mom thing. Holy cow she was huge! She is only 4 weeks more then me but looked 6 months already, it freaked me out.

"Hey Val I just wanted to drop off these gifts for your tree."

"Hey Steph come on in. Ma told me you were pregnant you look good. What are you a few weeks? Twins will make you bigger then me soon." My eyes bugged out.

"I'm four less then you right now." I noticed Val sitting at the table dipping everything in gravy. Cookies, bread, a potato, chips, a piece of chocolate cake.

I turned to Slick and whispered "If you let this happen to me I'm shooting you, no gravy for me!" Slick just smiled and nodded. I took a deep breath.

"Val you should cut back a little, I have cravings too but exercise and diet will make sure the baby comes out healthy. I know it's crazy coming from me trust me I love a good snack food but you could end up with a major issue."

"Why does everyone think I'm fat, I'm pregnant! It's my last one I want to enjoy it. Were hoping for a boy this time... Just wait a few more weeks you will be bigger then me." I started having trouble breathing and was freaking out again. Slick noticed and told me it was time to go to Mary Lou's. I quickly said my goodbyes and rushed to the car. Mary Lou talked me off the ledge and reminded me of her pregnancy with her photo album's helping calm me down. She told me I was like her and never like Valerie.

Ranger wouldn't let that happen to me and not say something, I'm almost positive he is having Ella sneak more vegetables to me hidden in my food as it is.

We exchanged gifts and Lou loved the spa weekend while she got me a pregnancy photo session. The pamphlet seemed pretty cool and I liked how one woman took all of these nature shots with her stomach. This was going to be my only pregnancy and I wanted to document it. Mary Lou said she regretted not having one done herself so I made sure to make an appointment in a few months.

Next Slick and I made our way to the bond's office. Lula went on a chicken run three hours ago and never came back, typical, while Vinnie was on a cruise with Lucille. Connie loved her gift card for Amazon books and bought me a Kama Sutra book to use with Ranger. I laughed. Ranger could probably write his own book, he was that good.

I thanked her and eventually moved onto Trenton PD. Royce sent me an email he was back in Iowa a few days and Rex was going to be away as well seeing his kids. Joe wasn't at his desk so I left him his small gift as well as Eddie's gift since Eddie didn't have a desk. It wasn't anything big but I wanted them to know I was thinking of them.

In my rush to leave Valerie's I forgot to open her gift, so Slick passed it to me. It was a homemade gift certificate for three cooking lessons with her along with a cook book. Although very kind, I have no interest in cooking at this point. Maybe that will change in a few months but right now it didn't. Slick told me he didn't cook either except with a microwave. He lived of Ella's meals so I really didn't feel too bad. I could at least use an oven for mac and cheese.

I wanted to surprise Ranger tomorrow with some sexy lingerie for Christmas Eve so we made our way to the mall for Victoria's Secret. One think I loved about pregnancy was my enhanced chest, some shirts I use to wear made me look like I was spilling out so I didn't mind shopping for new tops. I was in luck and found a sexy red teddy and a black baby doll that was see through for Ranger. Slick didn't look at my selections and kept his eyes respectfully towards the door at all times. He was a really good guy.

I tried looking for my gifts from Ranger this week but he was excellent at hiding things. Slick and I had been spending so much time together I also got him a gift card to _Harry's Army and Navy_ for putting up with my nuttiness.

Slick also helped me pick out my needed detective tools from the list we made together weeks ago. It was fun. I finally used a slim Jim and saw how to hot wire most cars. Like people certain cars were the exceptions to every rule. Cheaper or older cars were easier to break into then higher end ones and getting rid of the cars gps trackers that were built into the more expensive models were a pain to get out. It was something we would work on together as we take breaks on the case.

Slick spoke up "I've thought of my Christmas gift to you, would you like to know what?"

"Sure what?"

"I want you to make an all star list. Anything you ever dreamed of learning write on a list and I will make three things happen on it for you. Even if I don't know how to myself I'll find someone to teach you."

"You don't have too your already teaching me a lot."

"No I want to. It can even be on my days off if we need to take a field trip. Think about it."

"Hmm this is hard... I want to learn some Spanish, pick a lock perfect maybe crack a safe..."

"I know an art thief too, he could teach you planning and execution of a heist. Never know when that could come in handy for a case or learning the art of a con... Anything you want in regards to your condition of course. No climbing or repelling off a wall." He gave me a big smile.

"I'll start thinking about it. Have you heard anything about Jeanne Ellen yet?"

"Nope. It's like she disappeared. Between you and me she isn't in Trenton I've been looking so I can keep an eye out for you. I even called Les Sebring and he said she took a job out of town for a bit."

Ranger was working late tonight so Slick and I were having dinner with Grandma Mazur at her apartment. At first Slick was weary of my Grandma but he realized after a while she likes the shock value as her entertainment. Now he flirts back with her giving her a thrill they are a riot together. Grandma loves his attention and we love her cooking it's a win win.

"Hey baby girl." She hugged me and I noticed how nice the apartment was decorated.

"Looks amazing in here I almost don't recognize it. Do you need anything?"

"O no this apartment's enough."

"What are you cooking it smells amazing."

"Since your missing Christmas dinner I made a smaller version tonight." I was really touched she did this for me.

"Sit down and relax. My date will be here soon. He just moved in downstairs his name is Christian. He has all of his hair, a James Dean Rebel Without a Cause kind of man. I really like him."

Slick and I looked at each other and broke out into a big smile. Grandma's taste in men was wide and eccentric just like her. I imagined this guy with a pop up collar in a leather jacket but she seemed happy and that's all that mattered.

My father has left me a few messages this week thanking me for letting Grandma have my apartment. He never wanted another gift from me again, that was enough.

We heard a knock so Slick got the door. Christian did not disappoint one bit. He had his hair slicked back, black dress pants and a black dress shirt. I thought he was more Jack Nicholson then James Dean but he made grandma giggled like a school girl around him. He gave her roses. Very romantic.

In these social situations I feel weird calling Slick my bodyguard so I addressed him as my friend. We all sat for dinner.

"So Chickie, my girl has told me all about you, is this your boyfriend she mentioned?"

"No he had to work, Slick is a friend." Slick talked about the army with him and I noticed Christian's attentiveness to Grandma. I never saw my Grandfather this way with her, Grandma mostly took care of him and served him. I liked this picture much more. Christian reminded me of Ranger and it wasn't because he was dressed all in black, he listened to Grandma and really cared about what she said just like Ranger did with me.

"Tell me about yourself Christian." He grabbed grandma's hand and turned to me.

"I was in the army for a long time but married once briefly to Vegas show girl. It was fun at the time. I drove a vintage Harley most of my life until I got to old and my hips couldn't handle it anymore now I drive a Lincoln. After the army I started my own business in motorcycle mechanics until I sold it recently now I'm enjoying my retirement. I grew up in Newark, lived there most of my life till recently. I wanted a change and had an old friend and former client in this area that I could play cards with now."

Eventually we left them to enjoy the evening but took a bunch of leftovers for both of us to eat later. I got to the car and forgot to give Dillon his gift. Slick carried the cases of beer and chips. Dillon's liking for beer is the same as my liking for donuts, we don't judge each other. I heard my phone ping with a text.

_Thanks for the gift Steph, I have yours at my house if you want to stop by._

I agreed to come over. Joe was working on his emotions but our most recent weeks had been friendly communication and work. I really missed Bob too so we decided to stop by.

I told Slick he could wait in the car but he insisted coming in as backup saying Morelli still had feelings for me and he wanted to make sure my boundaries were respected, he also reminded me like my apartment a ton of people break into Joe's place too.

"Hey Joe Merry Christmas." I gave him a friendly hug and he kissed my cheek. Bob came running around the corner but Joe stopped him before he could knock me down.

I gave Bob a hug and a kiss while we sat on the couch.

"I liked my gift a lot, here for you."

I opened it up and saw he got me a few baby outfits. The first said _I'm Cute. Mom's Hot. _The second said_ My Mom's hotter then Your Mom. _Followed by_ Make Poop not War. _

My favorite outfits he gave me were the next baby jumpers and toddler t-shirts that said the same thing_ My Mom Doesn't Want your Advice._

"Now these I will use no doubt. Maybe I'll get the matching shirt for me too. Thank you Joe."

"Manoso doesn't trust us alone?" He nodded to Slick.

"I'm pregnant and being stalked by a killer as it was pointed out to me earlier, the Webmaster did kidnapped me from here before and your home is broken into a lot. It's for my security, Ranger trusts me he doesn't need to trust you."

Joe put his hand on my thigh "no matter what happens I'll always be here for you no matter. I need you to know that."

"I do Joe, your a good friend... Whose the woman? Anyone I know?"

Joe looked surprised. I rolled my eyes.

"There's a woman's thong stuck in the side of that chair, two wine glasses in your drying rack and a smell of a woman's perfume near the down stairs bathroom."

He just shook his head "a few women. No one I'm serious about, with my hours it's hard. I took our relationship for granted that's for sure." He seemed sad but Slick was right he needed time to move on.

"Joe you need to date, you can't put your life on hold waiting for me because it won't happen. No matter my status we will only be friends again. You should date someone like Robin Russell or one of the secretaries at the PD, they would get your life and hours or a nurse. A million girls would die to date thee Joe Morelli so don't cut yourself short on one night stands." He was about to respond when the door bell rung. Slick looked out the window.

"Terri Gilman with a casserole."

I looked at Joe with a disapproving look.

"It's work, a case."

I sighed "whatever you need to tell yourself Joe but it makes you look dirty by her association here at your house. Your a good cop watch out. I'm going to go."Joe tried to talk me into staying but I declined.

Slick and I left giving Terri a nod. She looked surprised to see me then puffed out her surgically enhanced boobs at Joe. I use to get into a jealous rage over her, now I just didn't like her as a person because she was that mean girl from school everyone hated.

RPOV

Since Babe returned home for bed rest I tried to give her space to work but I couldn't help but check on in the apartment. Working up here helped me get a lot done, my focus could return knowing Babe was close by. I finished all of my reviews and reports letting me start as soon as January to have to sit downs with each of my employees.

It's been a long two weeks but I pushed through, by Christmas Eve my days will return back to my normal hours. I'll still have occasional long days, client meetings and break ins causing odd hours but I'll be home more with Steph most nights. I couldn't personally shop for Babe's gifts so Ella brought me magazines and I circled things for her then had Ella place the orders.

My issues in Miami have also settled down. Santos looked into every man employed, even breaking into certain men's homes to look for suspicious activity with his second in command. Everyone came back clean. It helped me breathe easier. Hector's is installing new safeguards so software in the future will corrupt immediately if compromised, sending an alert to our control room from now on.

I also will contract out with Babe on the reviews of all my men. I see evidence, cold hard facts but Babe sees the story, she can see a person's life and get a beat on the human aspect. I told her how much I valued her input and she agreed to the contract work for Bombshell Investigations. Steph didn't want to take money from me for the work but I know how long and tedious these reports can be. I refused to use her time without payment but also having Rangeman as a paying client gives her business legitimacy on paper. It was a win win for both of us.

Babe's libido has also kicked into high gear this week. I read about it in the books but Babe and I have always been active in our love making. I didn't think it would surpass Vordo or her jelly doughnut hormones but some days it does. I couldn't enjoy it more.

When I saw Steph sporting a baby bump it really clicked with me my babies are inside of her. I know that I've gone to the appointments but to see her stomach grow made it feel real suddenly. I shouldn't have been surprised Ella decorated our apartment for Christmas and planned a romantic meal for the holiday's for me and Babe but I was. Ella constantly goes beyond expectations, I made sure she received an extra large bonus this year as well as a raise.

Eventually Ella will have to train someone for our new home when Steph and I move but I haven't found anyone qualified enough yet that I would trust. Ella likes living at Rangeman so adding a new house to her tasks would be too much for her. I may just end up hiring someone to help Ella at Rangeman then have her come to our home to clean a few times a week instead of everyday like she does here at the penthouse since its only 15 minutes away. I thought of hiring her an assistant to take days here when Ella is away from Rangeman but it is something I plan to discuss with her in January.

Food wise Ella could make meals for the fridge or freezer so Steph and I could pop them in the oven when Steph and I are home and have her place grocery shopping orders for us while she does Rangeman orders. It's hard for me to hire someone personally in my life for security reasons and it took a long time for me to trust Ella. I don't want to start all over and I don't want all the work on Steph either. Home wise it didn't matter to me how Babe and Ella decorated, I just needed a good bed. I slept too many years on the hard ground.

The next day after coming home from the hospital I meet Slick on the mats, not to beat the crap out of him but strengthen his hand to hand combat to improve Steph's protection. After talking to Babe and hearing her side of the event, the stress of her whole day, I realized Slick did what he could but he did make a few mistakes. I made it clear when Babe gets into certain states of upset he needed to contact me himself no matter what she says. A text would even do. Her blood pressure was dangerously high putting her at risk before she went to the hospital, Slick knew that Steph had that condition and there was no excuse he didn't get her checked out after the fight.

I made my concerns known to Slick that he can't become personally attached, he needs to draw a line. He is not her friend but my employee and despite what Babe said if he is fired in the future he does not have a position with her automatically. I didn't want him to think she would protect him if he made a major mistake in the future, that he was allowed to use her as a shield for myself.

I made it clear to Slick he wasn't my first choice as her partner but Steph had bonded with him to the point she didn't mind his presence as a guard. I couldn't say that for a lot of my other men with her. I didn't see Babe running from Slick in the future but I could see her eventually including him in her ideas. I made him aware of her lack of impulse control at times and how even though Steph may not like things, he needs to stand up to her when her ideas put her in danger.

I made it clear I'd rather her upset at something then dead. If at anytime they had a major conflict then Tank and I needed to mediate the situation before it became out of control.

In my office I monitored the war room when Steph was alone with Slick using the cameras. They worked well together but in an extremely relaxed capacity. Music on, odd training demos, sports talk, not how I expect my men to guard her but Babe didn't like formal. Tank pointed out currently they were in a secure building in a secure room so there guard was down like any of the men would be. To see a trust test I needed to monitor Slick with her on the streets then make sure he isn't off guard in public otherwise he will be removed immediately from her post.

I had to turned off the feed of the war room that the control room could monitor because I noticed the other men becoming jealous of Slick. They wanted to be Babe's guard and Tank had a long request list which became her rotation list for the weekends or when Slick requested vacation or sick days. I had to make it clear to my men Slick didn't have a cushy job, if anything I pushed him harder in his work outs and gun training and my monitoring of him.

I gave Slick a choice after two weeks he could continue to be her guard or return to patrol, he said he preferred being her partner. I made it clear if he passed 60 days with her as a good partner he would receive a pay increase but he would still have monitor shifts when Babe was in the building. He could also be called upon for certain assignments as well. He accepted the temporary position without blinking an eye.

I didn't mind Slick teaching Babe new things but I didn't want Babe testing them out on me either. I made it clear to him that under no circumstances could he teacher her how to be a cleaner. I didn't want Steph to know how to kill anyone strategically, torture anyone mentally or physically, how to clean a room of blood and DNA. I didn't want her to know how to get rid of a body or where to hide one. Under no circumstances could he compromise that innocence inside of her.

The mentality I wanted him to have in her training was legally grey, morally right. If she asked to learn anything beyond those limits he needed to come to me first. I told him his goal was to maintain her gun training standards as well as exercise routine then after her delivery self defense again. It was his job to motivate her and encourage her as his partner. Incentives and deals would have to be made but all within reason I made clear.

After our long meeting I felt better having Slick partner with her, more settled in the knowledge that if I had to leave in the next hour between Slick and Tank, Babe's physical safety was intact while Mary Lou and Ella were in charge of her emotional well being.

Babe didn't realize it, but I was creating an environment for her to grow again like she did in Greece by implementing multiple support systems instead of her falling back into old ways. I knew after the holidays I'd have to privately sit down with her parents to keep them from upsetting her constantly.

I was proud of Steph's boundaries she had put in place but I felt I needed to further her message. I couldn't completely stop the gossip and beat every person that talked about Steph but having less incidences have calmed down the amount of people to call her. I personally think she needs a new number but I get her reasoning, if everyone knows a certain number, good intel eventually comes out from the garbage. It was something I would keep an eye on though.

I was frustrated by Jeanne Ellen's disappearance. I left her a message to call me hoping to drag her out of hiding but she is smart enough to avoid me right now. I heard she took a job out of town since she is now broke and only has her car and condo to her name. She is going to be pissed when she decides to return, I'm at the point where I have given the order to anyone who catches her to deliver her to me for interrogation.

I wanted to covertly find out what her and Cross may be up too but she verbally attacked Steph, I rather force it out of her now. I don't take pleasure in hurting a woman but she is the exception, she may have girl parts but she is basically a man.

I told Babe at the hospital about our non relationship. I didn't tell Steph sexual details on what we had done that one time in my Bronco but I mentioned we had worked together for a month as her mentor in bond enforcement. I tried her for as an employee of Rangeman and explained why she didn't fit. I made it clear I never talk about Babe to anyone and my one time with Jeanne Ellen was just a release that meant nothing to me but she wanted to start up a fling. I mentioned Jeanne really enjoyed sexual pain and it wasn't something I enjoyed with her. I made it clear how long I went without a woman after I met Steph because no one else measured up in my mind.

I could see the fear leave her body and I felt stupid for not coming clean sooner but I didn't want images of me with other women floating around in her head just like I didn't want images of her intimate with Morelli in mine. When I put it like that she agreed on no details for either of us. We couldn't stop kissing each other after our talk. I was just thankful she was ok.

I heard Babe come into the door. I was sitting in my office just finishing up my last file before the holiday. Babe walked over to me and straddled my legs.

"Grandma's got a man that reminds me of you. You have to meet him soon." I raised an eyebrow and pushed my erection into her.

"Just like me?"

"No." She giggled and kissed me. I lifted her skirt and pulled down my fly. Babe didn't need foreplay these days, she craved sex like a sailor on leave. She was tight, wet and beautifully pink.

"Carrrrrrrrlos." She whispered my name as she rode me. I loved when Babe said my name. Not many women in my life had. Once I joined the Ranger's I became Ranger. I increased my pace so she would moan it again.

Babe and I continued our second round in the shower then laid together in bed afterwards skin to skin.

"I have a problem and I'm not sure what to do." Babe was sprawled across my body, head on my neck while my one arm was around her stroking her back and the over cupping her butt cheek.

"What's up. I thought Miami was fixed?"

"Rangeman is but I'm having an issue with Rachel and I don't... I need a woman's perspective. In the pass 11 years I would see Julie maybe 3 or 4 times a year sometimes a few more and I would always send monthly child support based on the amount that would normally be determined by the court based on my income as well as Christmas and birthday gifts but you know that.

I made it clear to Rachel in the beginning the money was for Julie's needs, food, clothing child care, medical bills, toys but if she was short on rent or a power bill the money could be used for that too. When Rachel got together with Ron he took care of the house bills so more more went to Julie's care and activities but things were tight because I was a solider. I didn't care how the money was spent as long as Julie came first always.

Over time Rachel was responsible with the money, I guess because at first it wasn't much but once I started my government work I made a larger living so I increased my support based on the courts calculator of my own free will. I didn't legally have to but I wanted too. I felt if the checks stopped Rachel would stop the visits. It was a win win, although in the past Rachel also wanted Julie and I too have a personal and emotional relationship as well until Scrog happened. That's why it was never kept a secret I was her biological father.

Around five years ago I noticed an odd splurge or two in Rachel's spending, clothes or furniture purchased but nothing like a shopping spree around that time just a few items for herself and the kids. Ron was paying all the house bills and mortgage, he was always a hard worker and I respect him a lot as Julie's father. I saw how much he loved her like his own. I didn't see any major issues so years went on.

Ron and Rachel live in a modest home, drive modest cars. I've always monitored there accounts off and on from to make sure they maintained a roof for Julie and see if they struggle because I was willing to assist. At this time in my life I only had myself to take care of and not Rangeman yet. But when I started Rangeman Miami and Trenton along with the other two offices I noticed Rachel's spending increase some more but still not a lot yet. This was around three years ago then about the time I met you maybe 6 months after.

I didn't comment because all of Julie's activities were being paid for, Julie had everything she wanted and I talk to Julie myself to make sure. What Rachel did with the extra money didn't concern me so if the furniture was worn down or the car needed repair I didn't care. Rachel was raising Julie every day so I felt everyone deserved a break. The spending got out of the control a year and a half ago after Scrog. Rachel spent a lot more on clothes and stuff for her and the kids. I thought it was temporary due to the kidnapping trauma she experienced so I gave her money for a therapist for her and the whole family to heal. I felt a lot of guilt about Julie being kidnapped and I still blame myself today. He could have done anything to her that would have marked her for life.

The family went together for treatment then some individually like Rachel and Julie. The kidnapping created difficulties in my relationship with Rachel which I've told you about in Greece. Rachel was paranoid about the kids safety so I offered private schooling and bodyguards on top of the child support as well as continued therapy as needed in case Julie developed post traumatic stress down the road. At the time the guilt was my motivating factor but I just wanted to make there family whole again.

Based on Santos report and looking at the accounts since we have been back from the wind, Rachel has been using the child support more then Ron's money, Julie mentioned they had been fighting a lot since the kidnapping and it took a long time for them to settle down again. Things are better in their marriage now I'm told based on reports, but Rachel is a constant nag on the bodyguards for the kids." I explained Rachel concerns to Babe and how Ron and the children don't feel the same way as her.

"I wasn't even sure I'd get an invitation to Julie's birthday this year, I'm surprised, I haven't received invites since Scrog as much except from Ron or Julie. I guess I need your help explain the bodyguards to her and I want her to get her spending issues under control again. The last 8 months have been the worst. I can't pretend anymore but I don't want to lose my visits with Julie either."

"I never met Rachel but as a mother, if that situation happened to me I'd be thankful for the therapy, private schooling and bodyguards, those things I could understand. That was very generous of you but the other two kids don't need bodyguards. If it makes her feel better then you might just have to bite the bullet till their 18. I remember during the kidnapping, Rachel has Julie 13, Christopher 11 and April 10 so that's a shit load of schooling money even if you own the company that supplies the protection. The private schooling for three is a shit load."

Ranger spoke up "I did a trade in services with the school for reduce rates and then had my accountant do the right off so its not as much as your thinking since its for a school but it's still a lot out of pocket."

"I don't know Rachel well but you could sign the checks over to Ron from now on in a private account. Has he said anything to her about the spending?"

"Yeah he said it caused a lot of rifts in there marriage for many months, last time I talked to him maybe 6 months ago. We have been gone for so many months I didn't check the accounts till our return."

Babe just shook her head. "It's your money but I think you need to do some tough love at the point. When we go for the party we can all sit down but if Rachel continues to complain about the bodyguards after I speak to her I'd tell her your removing them.

Julie is the only one who needs protection so have someone follow discreetly near by, your Rangeman guys are stealthy enough. Child support issues, you just need to cut off the head of the snake, either place a conservator in charge or talk to Ron.

It seems like Rachel really cares about the money so I would threaten to cut her off, she may threaten to keep Julie from you but then you would pull the school support with everything else. It could turn nasty for a while but eventually I think she'd miss the money then, you can start with a clear slate. One my old FTA's had a major spending problem and she said it was due to her depression and lack of self worth. She spent to make herself happy again but it never lasted. This might be the case with Rachel. Hell I've been known to max out my Macy's card a time or two for a really bad day to cheer myself up but it doesn't sound like a normal pattern of behavior.

Your such a strong man I never knew you had this much guilt over it. I know your proud but you could have told me this a year ago and I would have gone to talk to Rachel with you." I kissed Ranger's lips.

"Despite how you feel I'm not a superhero. I have flaws like everyone else and I didn't want to make a hard situation worse."

"I got your back Batman. Call Ron after the holidays and let's discuss it on the phone with him privately, maybe he has a suggestion on dealing with Rachel."

SPOV

This morning is Christmas morning. Yesterday was a busy day, Ranger, Tank, Slick and I, among several others did monitors. It snowed a lot so the day was quiet. Ranger and I dressed up for each other to enjoyed a romantic prime rib dinner by candle light, dancing to soft Christmas music in the penthouse. This was starting to become a holiday tradition except Ella did the cooking. After a few fast rounds of love making, I settled into the night with my blanket and Christmas movies while Ranger went back down to the monitors with Tank.

Ranger and I didn't really have plans this year, I wasn't in a huge holiday spirit and he had to take the monitors so his men could enjoy the day off, hopefully next year we will start some kind of family tradition together with the babies.

It was 4:50 am Christmas morning so I ran into the closet and placed Ranger's gifts under the tree before he woke. I saw a lot for me already, he must have put them out last night after he carried me to bed. Tank planned to bring the car over at 6 am so I just have to hide the key until then. I heard Ranger's alarm go off then him in the bathroom.

"No gym today?"

"Holidays I take off."

"Present time!" He nodded and kissed my head.

"I'm surprised your awake." Ranger went to make coffee in the kitchen.

"I'm excited for your gifts I can't help it." I was bouncing around with nerves.

Ranger raised an eyebrow at me. "I told you I didn't need anything."

"O boy" I rolled my eyes. Ranger grabbed some fruit salad from the fridge and brought it over to snack on for us as we sat on the couch. I turned soft Christmas music on and the tree lights. I grabbed my camera and split up our gifts and stockings.

"You first!" Ranger put down his food and went into his stocking. He pulled out a Batman pez dispenser filled with some nuts since he didn't eat candy, a couple bags of granola, organic energy bars and some whole walnuts and an orange.

He raised an eyebrow at me again. "Walnuts and an orange?"

"I thinks it's a Hungarian thing or a great depression thing. I don't know, Grandma Mazur always places some kind of whole nuts and an orange or an apple in our stockings, it felt weird not too."

Ranger kissed me "Thank you Babe. I haven't celebrated in years." That made me feel sad for him.

I sighed "you didn't even open your gifts yet."

Ranger gracefully opened up the wrapping paper slowly, it was driving me nuts. He started with the Ranger baby clothes I got from the army surplus store with the different sayings. Ranger smiled and chuckled at them. He said his favorite was my _Ops are Blacker then Yours_ which was mine too. Ranger also liked the Ranger thongs asking me to wear one today for him. Ranger opened up the boxes of lingerie I purchased as well. I told him I had one more gift for him but he had to wait 15 more minutes so I opened mine. Ranger had bought me the most beautiful clothes, when he told me they were maternity I didn't believe him at first. He included the magazine that he picked them out from to shop from in the future. Ella had left her gift to me under the tree, she had given me a purse that I didn't realize was a baby bag at first. It looked like something I would use normally and not an obnoxious color with animals like I have seen in the past. I loved it.

"I'm shocked. Val and Mary Lou never wore cute pregnancy clothes so I just assumed I'd look like a tent too but I love them and you." Ranger and I made out a little. He turned me around and had me sit in his lap then pulled out a red Cartier box with a bow. Charms!

"Do you like it Babe?"

"A house charm, a Christmas present charm and I don't understand the last charm?"

"It's a k and m in Hebrew that represents the symbol for Krav Maga so you remember your self defense lessons we had together."

I had a big smile on my face. He placed the charms on my bracelet then kissed my inner wrist.

Ranger and I were getting frisky on the couch when the apartment phone started to ring. I looked at the time and knew it was Tank. We were already three minutes late.

Ranger picked it up and told him he would be right down.

"Tank wants me to check out his new car I got him for Christmas then sign something." I pretended I was excited to see it too so I put on my sweater and yoga pants. Ranger dressed in his uniform for the day.

I didn't have makeup on and my hair was crazy so I borrowed Ranger's Seal's hat to go down. I hid the small box that contained his car key when we were almost to the floor I gave it to him to open. He seemed confused.

"Just open it fast!" He did and put the garbage in his pocket.

"A key?" The doors opened and I pulled him out of the elevator dragging him to the car. Tank stood next to Ranger's new Porsche 918 Spyder with a big smile.

"Surprise! Merry Christmas." I shouted.

Ranger just stood stock still not saying anything.

"Crap you hate it don't you, I'm sorry I should have asked, I just thought..." Ranger pulled me into his arms quickly and really kissed me good, letting his hands roam to my ass squeezing me closer to his body.

"Babe I love it, you really shouldn't have." He just shook his head and walked me over to it with his mega watt smile in place.

Tank spoke up "I turned the cameras off, you can act like a little boy now."They did a man hand thing together.

"I'm getting old if I didn't see you two working together."

"Al did the upgrades, it's registered and ready to go."

"Start it up Ranger! Go on sit in it!"

Ranger kissed me one more time then got in with Tank.

"I'm never driving this car ever, just you, it's too beautiful to destroy with my luck." Ranger touched all the buttons and Tank pointed out things in the manuel he had read. I walked over to Tank's side and pulled out the envelope for his gift.

"Merry Christmas big guy, remember I'm pregnant before you respond." Both Ranger and Tank looked concerned. I moved back to Ranger's side just in case this went badly.

He read it for a few minutes with no expression but laughed at the card about putting the condoms to good use.

"You think I need a match maker?"

"Umm...I researched her and the business... I included the printouts she's legit... I just thought you'd like a lady friend to spend time with you and your cats. It's not to be mean or anything. I didn't think it would hurt for you to meet her."

Tank got out of the car and hugged me. He whispered in my ear "thank you" then kissed me on my head and got back in the car with Ranger. I had a big smile on my face and so did Ranger. It was more he was laughing at Tank getting a match maker for Christmas.

"You two go test drive, I'm going to shower and get ready so I can catch Ella." I gave my signature finger wave and got into the elevator.

RPOV

Tank pulled the bow off and I placed the car in drive. I couldn't believe Babe bought this, it was crazy expensive and I've looked at in the past but my car guy never had one in stock for me. This must have cost her a fortune and I was really touched. I liked her other gifts but this was something else.

"This is love man that woman debated over which car for a while but I know you love speed."

"This is my new favorite car... are you pissed about the match maker?"

"Nah she has a good heart. I might even try it. I haven't had a stable girl since Lula and the one night stands are getting old... Your a lucky man."

"I know. She makes me want to be a better man."

**To be continued... Snow day today Yay! I'll be posting another chapter later today where Steph gets back on the case. **

**P.S I've kept Steph's inheritance total vague in past chapters by saying at first she saw a lot of zeros when she read the paper work to being a millionaire in Anderson's office but not the amount, in my mind I pictured Steph with around 9 million. I've picture it as a mixture of her mother's assets at the time but also Ethan adding to it himself over the years as well and him just not telling Steph that tid bit.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Just a little bonus chapter I promised. I'm already working on my next one which will be longer.**

SPOV

I started reading the two victim's background's from Florida. Ranger and I decided to fly out in the next few days to Miami. Ranger needed two weeks to check everything out in the building and with his men then at the end of our trip is Julie's party.

It was decided Slick would also accompany us. Ranger didn't feel comfortable having an unknown guard with me that didn't know me personally. My plan was to go see Renee Griffin's house. She owned her own business and was a speech therapist from Tampa, Florida. Her neighbor was the one that reported her missing. I wanted to start with that neighbor. I researched her and discovered she worked from home. If Renee's neighborhood was anything like mine she might have noticed someone strange. Renee was also found at the local college in the woods but I couldn't find a connection to the victim and the school. Other victims were found miles from there home's or work but she wasn't.

This victim bothered me the most since from the beginning because her after picture looked the least like the other victims due to her weight. Like me she really enjoyed food and makeup but that's where the similarities ended. Her home was left to one of her friend's Hershel Forrest. Her cause of death was fluid in her lungs, fresh water not salt but I didn't see any large bodies of fresh water near where she was found dead or taken.

I started planning out my trip once we landed in Miami. Slick and I would take a day to get our barrings so I could meet with Ron then we were going to drive to Tampa which was around a 4 hour road trip. I didn't expect to find any tapes of Renee's whereabouts around town, it's been too long but she was one of the few victim's that owned a residence that went to someone she knew instead of a stranger. That home could possibly still have Renee's items and a clue for me.

I read over her credit card statements, like me she didn't have a strict routine but liked takeout from all over. I looked up her family, her mother was in and out of rehab for alcohol most of her life so Renee was left with neighbors and her father died from cancer when she was in high school. Boyfriends weren't frequent, her last relationship was two years ago and now he is married with a baby. Her medical records showed she received regular check ups and her doctor's wanted her to lose weight but she wasn't on any medication including birth control.

Winifred Grey was from Miami, divorced with no children, had a pet a cat and frequented the bakery near her home a lot but worked out just as much to keep her figure my notes told me. I saw in her background her ex husband liked strippers a little too much. He used there joint bank account to pay these women and slept with them too.

Her occupation was a blogger. I read multiple articles of hers to get the feel of her personality, she was witty and cute. She liked to write how-to articles and try new things. Like me, yoga was not her thing, she wrote about her adventures almost daily on her personal blog.

I could see myself as one of her friends. She once had a lot of friends before she was married but her divorce was a nasty one like mine. I saw she became kind of a shut in for a while. I was shocked she had to support her ex husband after the divorce because he couldn't keep a job, yet he was spending that hard earned money on other women. I was pissed for her.

Winifred was found on the beach from antifreeze poisoning. I had made a call to her landlord before Christmas but I haven't heard back. The apartment is now rented and all of her belongings went to her ex husband. I bet he didn't keep anything he couldn't sell for cash.

I was tracking him down but I had a feeling Slick and I were going to end up at a strip club to speak to him. I searched for Winnie's family but all I found was a single mother with no father on the birth certificate. I guess the man she called her father wasn't biological although she had his last name. The mom remarried and ran off to L.A with her boyfriend when Winifred turned 18.

I kept reading her daily blogs for clues on what was going on in her life, sometimes she talked about her cat Count Flufferton. She dressed him up in the craziest outfits. I sent those funny pictures to Tank's email, he showed me his cat's enough I thought he would like this too.

I read her blog about her adventures in dating again. It was funny to read about all of her awful first dates. I could definitely relate years ago. She had met men at speed dating and free online dating. One guy she met didn't believe in bringing left overs home at all. She told the waiter she wanted it anyway despite his feelings and that it didn't matter what he thought, she wouldn't be seeing him again anyway. That made me laugh.

Another date took her to Denny's and started coloring on the table with some left over crayons he found on the side. Wow just Wow! Speed dating was no better. A lot of the guys were looking for one night hook ups and sex in the parking lots. Classy. I'm glad I never let Connie and Lula talk me into speed dating now. I'm curious if this is how my stalker found her though. I made a note to look for a computer in her belongings and her dating profile online. I read almost everything she wrote in the last 3 years, she never mentioned issues with anyone except her ex husband. She was semi dating but no secret admirers.

I got a message from Royce.

_Ever since that article went out in the newspapers the hotline is over run by woman calling saying they are being stalked now all over New Jersey. 1 out of 24 are convinced of it. Were still going through the names and taking information but were seeing a lot of "false stalking syndrome" right now, its kinda like "Munchausen's Syndrome" some women are calling for the sympathy or attention. We have the Trenton PD looking into some of the calls but the profile for these woman are typically sexually provocative, dramatic, have multiple relationship failures, money issues and either have once been stalked or know someone who was. Wanted to give you a heads up just in case they hire you to investigate. I'm currently beating my head on my desk. Rescue me by giving me a lead to run._

I texted him back.

_Did Winifred have any interesting messages from men she was dating online or speed dating?_

He responded right away.

_No comment. The task force is on information lock down Dollface. Wink._

Great... "I'm stuck Slick. I need some inspiration."

"Take a break. When you force yourself to think it won't come."

"What do you know about compulsive shopping off the top of your head?"

"I know they have support groups but that's pretty much it." Great and I only know a movie about it.

"My ass hurts in this chair, let's go for a walk." We made our way out of Rangeman.

"I've been thinking...Can you think out anyone you rejected, anyone resentful or wanted intimacy with you in the past three years that you blew off? I'm trying to figure out if your stalker ever met you before. I saw the pictures of you in that room... it was something else. What is his motive? Is he seeking vindication, is this about a mental illness or delusion? I personally see a predator although none of the women were sexually assaulted. I think he has a constant fantasy about you to create a room like that... but something is off and I know you feel it too." I just sighed.

Slick and I were walking around the streets downtown. "I've thought of that. No one really made an intention known to me. I've been thought of in the past as Morelli's girl so no one really tried to move in on his territory. The people who did flirt with me like Bernie Kuntz didn't do this...I feel like he wanted me in that room, wanted me to become bossed with him as much as he is with me. I've been thinking of slipping the newspaper a fake story about me focusing on some case that's nothing to do about this one. Maybe I can get him angry where he will try to make a move on me." I bit my lip. "Or maybe he might make the next woman disappear again like that missing victim... What do you think?"

"I think it's a good idea. But don't leave town in your real name when the article is out. Maybe leak your working a big case in town relating to a art crime or something, we fake a crime if necessary to drawl the press into it. Let's go to the clean room after you write a draft of your fake case maybe submit it before we leave for Miami but don't tell anyone your going to Miami not even your family. We are going on a private plane as long as you don't use Stephanie Plum in Miami on paper, he may never know you left Trenton."

"I've stopped using my name since I've been back. I've only used my business card for the last month and my old bank account was shut down. How do I erase my background? Ranger told me I could do that if I wanted to one day."

Slick thought of it "it's a multiple step process, because your high profile you will never be a true ghost but let's head back and I'll speak to Hector. Electrically he can get rid of you within a month. The only thing he will leave is your birth, high school graduation and college records. The newspaper articles will probably stand for a really long time online because of your rep but over the next year Hector will start tracking down hard copies about your life from everywhere and get rid of them. It's not an over night thing. Do you have any spare id's not in your name? Or do we need Hector to make some."

"Ya, two I have."

He nodded "in the future if you can't use your business cards, use those for traveling from now on instead of your own. If you immediately stop using your name now it will make it easier for Hector to run future searches and get rid of what comes up. Eventually he will run maintenance searches monthly on your name and get rid of things like he does for Ranger. That's how he discovered someone stole his identity and started looking for Scrog."

I felt something dripping from my nose and I touched it, blood.

"Are you hurt, sick, what happened? We were just walking? Do you need the hospital?"

"No Ranger told me it could be one of my new symptoms during the pregnancy this week. I'm fine it's just a little nose bleed, let me stop in the bathroom in the lobby." After ten minutes I came back out all better. We walked back to the war room to sit.

"Have you been thinking about your all star list?"

I gave him a big smile. "Yeah I want to meet your art thief so far. When things settle down for me again I'm thinking of getting Rosetta stone Spanish for myself and the other two on my list I don't know yet, I'm still making it."

"Done. Your going to like Walker... he's unique. He is also a world class forger. I'll call him now and see what he can do."

Slick left the room and I re-looked at Florida. I couldn't get my conversation with Ranger out of my head concerning Rachel. I googled shopping addictions to see if there was a legitimate mental cause.

Slick came back in "he can give us time later today, he is near New York and willing to meet."

I gave him a big smile."Thanks I needed a break...Slick you don't have to tell me, it's not my business but why aren't you close to your family?"

He was quiet for a long time. I started to look back at my screen researching when he spoke.

"Like most guys here, my family didn't understand how the army changed me. I didn't feel like I fit with them anymore, they wanted the old me and I couldn't give that to them anymore. I couldn't pretend. They were very curious about my skills I had acquired since I was in Special Forces but I kept a tight lip about my old life once I got out. My family wanted me to marry a small town girl but I've never met anyone I loved. Lust sure, love no. If I ever get married it's going to be a one time deal. I don't talk about myself a lot or my life. I'm a private person, were trained to be that way for our own safety. Rangeman also has confidentiality and privacy requirements that doesn't allow me to talk about my work to just anyone. It makes a relationship difficult... When your asked about your day you can't always be honest, being vague tends to annoy most women too."

"Do you want a serious relationship?"

"I would like someone to go home too sometimes but with that mentality I could get a dog or a cat like Tank. My longest partnership with a woman has been you. Before you I dated a girl a week at most my whole life. I'm not proud of it but I can't change it either."

"I think your dating the wrong women, instead of picking her up in a bar, pick a woman up from a book store or take her on a real date. I've dated two men with impossible schedules and lives. If you want to make it work you make it work. The whole I can't tell you about my work is annoying, I'm not going to lie but if you explain it up front, most women would understand. I'd set you up with one of my cousins but they are all super annoying and my only single friends are Connie and Lula."

Slick grimaced. "I don't want family connections and no offense but I saw the shit Lula did to Tank. I'll pass." He started laughing and I did too. I thought at one point Ranger was going to kill Lula just to leave Tank alone.

"How did you meet Ranger? I noticed most of his employees he works with first before employing them. Very few are from actual applications submitted."

"Ram worked here already, we served together. They needed someone who was fast, quick fingers and could talk there way out of a situation. I'm not huge like Tank or Hal but I'm not a small guy either. I'm better at blending in as a guard because I don't intimidate unless I need to."

"You don't have a criminal record, did the army teach you quick fingers?"

He smiled "my dad owned a key making business with lock picking on call. I became good at a young age and eventually moved onto... other things. The trick is patience. You get frustrated after a few minutes."

"How do I learn patience?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe put a plate of food you love in front of you then you have to wait to eat it for 5 minutes. If you complain or try to eat it, another 5 minutes as a penalty. We can increase the time weekly to create patience for you. I don't know, that's what my dad did with me when I was five but he was strange in his lessons. He wouldn't even let me drive a car til I could parallel park and K-turn a John Deer tracker he owned between cones he had set up."

I started laughing. "I can only imagine what Ranger will set up for the twins. Tank mentioned baby boot camp and at the time I thought he was joking but now I'm not so sure. I can just picture the twins just starting to walk wearing Rangeman uniforms then Tank setting up cones for them to do an obstacle course while crawling. Or when they can run, larger courses with repelling off a wall." The image made me smile.

"I don't care what they want to do as long as the twins aren't forced into it, then I will put my foot down. I did forced dancing, cooking and singing so I know what it's like...why don't any other women but me and Ella work for Rangeman?"

"You should ask Ranger he does the hiring."

"I have. He says he would hire someone if they had the right skills. I want your take on it."

"There aren't a lot of women who are soldiers, most ex military women get out and start families. Other ones that don't are usually in government work and are payed well to stay in that field unless they burn out or forced out due to skills. Larger private security firms or mercenary firms pick them up in the larger cities and pay them a bonus for their gender.

As far as I know a woman hasn't applied to Rangeman in a guard/patrol capacity, only as assistants or house keeping. It's also about personalities, there is a lot of testosterone in this building. You saw what happened in the gym with Eric, he backed off because your Ranger's woman but it would create a distraction among the men in my opinion if Ranger hired the wrong personality in a woman. Employees sleeping together or sharing woman isn't good for moral. Ranger even has a building rule about not sharing women with other men here in our personal lives. It works. Conflict is minimum. Ranger doesn't just hire for skills, he hires people that will work well as a unit without weakness or distraction he has a brilliant strategic mind.

Look at the field you use to work in. In New Jersey there is only a handful of female bounty hunters, only one of you had military experience Jeanne Ellen, the rest learned on there feet but burned out over time or quit due to injury, Joyce Barnhart for example. Your one of the few I know who left willingly do to your condition... Do you think you will return to it after you deliver?"

"I don't know right now. I don't love chasing people but I kind of miss hanging out at the office or seeing certain people that were my regulars. I didn't love every file but I didn't hate it. I will probably still run this business and maybe take the odd case for Vinnie once in a while. I'll wait and see... Is there a pool about me? I know Rangeman pools over my cars but are there any others?"

"Yeah. Gender, babies weights, the month and day they will be born. No one bets with Ranger included so there isn't a marriage pool or anything, no one has a death wish. We bet about everything though, it's not out of spite, we just don't have a lot of fun here. Ella never bets but she is in on this one with the babies."

"Does Ranger bet?" He just shook his head "Never. Neither does Tank."

I just nodded and returned back to my computer. I started printing off my research to show Ranger.

"I'll be back I need to drop this off." I walked to Ranger's office and knocked on his door I heard "enter."

"Yo Batman. I just wanted you to see this, Slick and I are going on a field trip soon so I'll call you if I need to miss dinner... Did you talk to Ron about a meeting?"

"Yes. He will come to Rangeman the day we land alone. He seemed not surprised I wanted a sit down." Huh he must know there is an issue then.

"That doesn't sound good. When you get a chance read over my research it might help." Or she might just be a gold digger. I don't want to say that to his face though, I know he is struggling with this enough. I gave him a small kiss and walked away.

RPOV

I looked at Steph's research. She looked at causes for obsessive shopping. Boredom, avoidance, depression/loneliness, poor body image, peer pressure, past poverty, passive aggression at a person or spouse and symptom substitution such as women with eating disorders graduate to compulsive shopping.

Symptoms include compulsion, obsession and loss of control, continued behavior in the face of negative consequences. People who engage in these binges get a feeling of a "high" physically and emotionally to help cope with their life and anxiety. People use it as a coping mechanism, some psychological conditions that are the root cause include negative feelings including fear and anger, excitement seeking, approval seeking, need for control, perfectionism or a deprivation in childhood.

Treatments include individual therapy, group therapy, reducing temptation, taking a friend on trips, developing new coping mechanisms or other hobbies, making lists before you leave your home and sticking to that list. Medications for depression and anti anxiety can also be prescribed.

I rubbed my hands over my face and groaned. I can't believe this shit.


	36. Chapter 36

SPOV

Slick and worked on the case a little bit then went to the gun range to practice together. Slick explained to me this was his way to process while mine was walking or eating. Eventually six o'clock came so we went to pick up Walker from the Hamilton train station. Slick explained he wanted Walker to come down regardless because he knows a lot about art and may be able to give us some input on our case. We were at a minor stall anyway so I agreed. We needed a fresh perspective.

"How do you know Walker exactly? Is that his real name?"

"No. He likes Johnnie Walker so the name stuck. He was once apart of my extended family a long time ago. I vouched for you but he doesn't like new people. In his world new means Fed or insurance investigator. He may be gruff in the beginning, he needs to size you up before speaking freely but once he does he will answer questions hypothetically. And I wouldn't ask him about any alleged prior activity."

"I got it. What he tells me stays with me. We're not hitting a museum tonight right? I'm not dressed in my cat burglar outfit. I don't want to be arrested." He looked at me strangely.

"What does that outfit look like exactly?"

"I don't know, all black, turtle neck, black jeans with black boots, silver hoop earnings and maybe a black beret." He had a big smile.

"Because that outfit doesn't say I'm up to no good? All your missing is the cat burglar mask and that white bag of money with the big green dollar sign in your hand."He broke out laughing. When he put it that way it was kinda funny.

"No. This is just a discussion. He'd never take you on a job for a first meeting, he doesn't want to get pinched either. We're just going for a private dinner at a place I know. Walker's knowledge is worth more to you then the actual mechanics of breaking in but he will explain why." I just nodded.

"Are you excited for Miami or bummed? I know Ranger asked you but it's two weeks away from home."

"Are you kidding me? We're getting out of the Jersey cold. Anytime you travel I'm going too. Maybe you will get lucky and get a Caribbean case next time or riverboat murder."

I broke out into a snorting laugh."A riverboat? Could you imagine Ranger's face if we investigated a riverboat murder?" I gave him a cheeky grin.

"I hate this you know. I hate that he needs two women before he comes for me. I'd rather he came at me head on and grew some balls. I don't understand these games criminals play. Is it really that satisfying to mess with my mind and life? I don't get it... When I was small I was more afraid of spiders and vegetables then the monsters under my bed, I use to search for them too. I never thought I'd be hunting monster's again as an adult."

"Did your college friends contact you?"

"Yeah I emailed them the pictures of me from the crime scene, they will check but no one thought there home was broken into. I checked with the librarian at Rutgers and only two pictures were of me my final year. It's a public record so no one checked it out or anything but campus security has cameras. Royce needed something to do,I gave him the lead to investigate."

"I heard your Grandma is riding shot gun around town with Christian lately. Do you think she will ever marry again?"

"I'd never say never but I don't want her to die alone and unhappy either. I'd like her to have a companion. I think she was unhappy with my grandfather for a really long time but when your married that long you stay married. He was strict and unforgiving. My mom takes after him, she feels she needs to keep the decorum for the family since Grandma and I are the odd balls of the bunch." Slick and I were now parked, waiting for Walker at the train station.

"Here he comes."

"That guy? He doesn't look like an art thief at all..." Slick started laughing. Walker opened the door, nodded then got in. Slick shook Walker's hand, did pleasantries and introductions.

"Walker, Steph doesn't think you look like a thief."

"And what did the lady expect?"

"I don't know a flashy expensive suit, Rolex, slick back hair... your older too. You look like a high school teacher?"

He laughed and shook his head. "You watch too many movies, in my line of work you want to look forgettable. If you use a heavy cologne, accent, expensive clothes you stand out and trust me people notice items more then faces. My age I can't change but I'm 50 not dead. The regular Joe look keeps you out of the Clink." He started checking me out, more in observation then sexual.

"You don't seem Slick's type for companionship. He usually goes for strawberry blond's." Interesting. I'll have to keep my eye out for him now.

"She's not. I'm her muscle."

"Your too pretty, you have an accent, your clothes are expensive and your hair and eyes are memorable. You would be utilized best as a distraction unless you turned into plain Jane then you could be a thief with enough practice. I could see you easily talking a man out of his bank account with your eyes and a tight dress... Slick explained your situation to me already, you understand our talks will be hypothetical correct?"

"Of course."

Slick drove us to a Greek restaurant I've never been to before but I was excited to try. Being here made me think of Ranger.

"Alexander Ramos owns this place but he is currently in Greece. It's protected with bullet resistant glass and they keep cop's away. I'll sweep for bugs before we continue in our private corner."

Slick check our surroundings and got us to the table placing his back to a wall next to me. We ordered the tasting menu to be served family style since it had the most options. I thanked our waitress in Greek which made Slick raise an eyebrow at me. I just shrugged.

Walker turned to me "The best advice I can give you is to work alone or with one other person you can trust. Be weary of new faces, you never know when the fuzz gets involved but they are usually the fences. Keep your circle small and only involve people you've worked with in the past. I personally like to think of myself as an "art consultant" so that's how I will refer to myself." Maggie Austin called herself that as well? Did that mean anything?

"Art Consultants" have a wide arena. Estates, galleries, auction houses, museums among other types of properties. Museums have sensors, guards, cameras, special lights, temperature and pressure alarms. You will need schematics, an inside man, a full time distraction among a few other things. It's too advanced at this point so I will start with the basics and over months we will build upon it. When you work alone, estates and homes have less security then a museum. However most high end collectors have museum quality pieces with a fraction of the security just sitting on there walls and hallways for the picking.

Less then 15% of "art consultants" are ever caught when they take from homes, police will not look that hard, they rather solve a real crime against a person. Insurance investigators are another story, like a dog with a bone. Never have a weapon on you during the process of your acquisitions, if you are caught, having a weapon on you will increase the charges against you.

How you pick the home depends on your interests. As an "art consultant" I prefer auctions to see where items are being sold to private citizens, I prefer paintings myself but I do enjoy a rare coin occasionally. When you get to the auction names are registered to bid lists so numbers can be assigned quickly. You write down bidding numbers to the pieces your interested in then you swipe the list before you leave the building. Sometimes it's on the computer and you will need a partner to run a distraction while you acquire the list on a flash drive.

That list contains a name and most of the time a phone number, which can be used to track down an address. If a home has low or minimum security you can just walk up to the door in a disguise, pretend to offer a service to get inside or deliver a simple package you yourself bought for them to open with no return address. In that item you can place a camera to see inside the house and figure out people's schedules. Clock's for example are usually placed in living rooms or offices and then take the clock back once you acquire the piece you were interested in.

During the day is always best for a break in, people are out and if an alarm sounds, neighbors rarely call it in right away because they think the owners have set it off. Most times you have 8 minutes in the house to get in and get out. Some homes more depending on the security company.

If you find another house in that area with the same security company then set off that alarm to know the exact response time. Lower end security systems are just monitors that alert the police. Other people hire high end security company's like Rangeman where they have there own patrol for alarm calls. Those high end systems need more recon for camera locations, angles and sensors but they can still be compromised most of the time with a good plan. Rangeman systems are hard to beat but not impossible.

Human error is what messes up those high end systems. Nannies, gardeners, homeowners, maids let someone in the home dressed in a disguise so camera's can be placed. Most people don't question a uniform with a matching logo on the truck. Depending on what the staff looks like you could seduce a maid and give her a pin to wear for her work uniform that has a camera inside of it that she doesn't know about and see her turn on and off the codes for the home. That would also give you the opportunity to copy the estate's keys depending on the level of security, it may be the only way.

There's even an app for your phone that let's you take a picture of almost any key which will be made and mailed to you. I like the old style of a mold myself because it works every time while the app isn't perfect. The picture doesn't take into account wear and tear of an actual key inside the hole.

Depending on what your looking for in a home you can sweep the downstairs quickly then hit the master bedroom where most people keep valuables. Never go into an attic or basement, you won't have the time if the alarm is blaring and you don't want to get trapped without an exit. Eight minutes is all the time you get if you didn't disable the alarm first. Set your watch before you pop the door." He grabbed my wrist.

"You need a better watch. Any newspapers are a good source for high end items too. People love to show off wealth to everyone. Foolish." He just shook his head.

"Beware of dog signs, most of them are a dead give away they don't actually have a dog but occasionally people do. Keep a biscuit in your pocket, be prepared. The majority of people hide valuables such as a stamp collections or jewels in an office safe or dresser, master bedroom, living room and dinning room.

I'll give you some advice because you look like a nice girl and one day you may own a home. You need to keep your valuables in the basement, attic, a child's bedroom, kitchen or a broom closet, most of the time people can't check those spots and will have to leave empty handed. In 30 years I only saw one person do that.

Safe's are usually in offices, smart people have two. A decoy in the office and another somewhere else. Most "art consultant's" will look up records to see what you have in your home to know how to crack them. Pay for your safe in cash or a different name to protect yourself. If you are trying to get into a safe know before hand the model so you have the right tools. Touch takes a long time, drills are faster but you need to know what to do. Most people hide combos on or in there desk, under the keyboard in my experience most.

If you see a purchase for two safes then you know they have a decoy, so look in another room before the office you instead of wasting the 5 minutes on the wrong safe and leaving empty handed. Before you sell anything look for a tracker on the item especially in the frame. Take it apart and scan it before you go back home, you don't want to lead the fuzz right to you. Look to see if it has been marked by an electronic engraving pen as well. Makes it harder to sell items and more people are starting to use them. Most garage codes are not on a rolling code program because people get lazy, using certain code sniffer programs you can get entrance through a garage easily.

Homeowners especially rich ones are already suspicious of people's motives, staff aren't, so information is easier to acquire from them. Never use a real name either. There are exceptions to every rule on who to approach but that's when research comes into play." He pulled out a list from his pocket.

"These books will help you get into the right state of mind. Next time we meet you need to read them first before we have hands on demonstrations." Walker paused and waited for our food to be served. When we were alone again in our private corner away from the rest of the patrons he began again. I was guessing this was Alexander Ramos's spot when he was in town because no one was remotely near us.

"The quickest and cleanest route for a job would be a party or event the owners are hosting. Research the item first then the people who own it. Have someone make a fake then switch it during the party and no one will know. You can walk right out the front door. If the item is too large to move, copy keys, garage codes, place cameras near the key pads for the codes then come back when the home is empty. A great research tool would be to look at a teenager's pictures if they have kids. Facebook, Instagram, they always post a million pictures of themselves around their parent's home which makes locating items faster. Clean. In and out.

Again this is just a broad overview, once you finish that reading list of items and perfect your picking skills, safe cracking then I can show you a demonstration. We can set up a warehouse for you to practice in. It will take months... I'll even paint you something myself for to steal, if successful you may keep it as your reward." He gave me a big smile.

"My mind is kinda blown. I was expecting... I don't know the "Thomas Crown Affair" but your right it would be a lot easier and less heat then a museum piece."

"My goal tonight for you was to see the investigative view point since Slick told me that was more your career goals but eventually you will see the flip side. Knowing the other viewpoint will help you in a situation to see both angles."

"Some of the things I knew already like hidden camera's near key pads but the camera on the pin is genius. I guess you could also do a bug on a staff member then catch the sounds of the beeps from the security code input."

"Now your thinking." He pulled out his card for me. All it had was a large black W and a phone number.

"I like you a lot, you seem like a sweet kid. You can call me anytime, leave a message with your number and I'll call you back from another phone."

We continued eating and I pulled out my background file on Maggie Austin. "This is my art consultant but I don't know if she is like you or legit. I didn't see anything weird but she did make a good living. Would you mind looking at her file?" Walker took the file and started reading everything. We were just finishing dessert when he spoke.

"She is a forger my best guess. These fees are too high and I know some of these places, items haven't been stolen as far as I heard so she may be selling fakes to unsuspecting people or making them for an "art consultant." She went to college for art and her purchases are for many different unique art supplies that separately mean nothing but when you mix different items create certain paint that can eventually be aged to look right by sight.

I'd say she specialized in oil paintings based on items but did other mediums. A normal consultant wouldn't make half as much or travel this amount, the field is rough without years of experience and impeccable past employers. She also dated a lot of artists, maybe she used them on different pieces. She doesn't look familiar to me at all but I handle my own "pieces" personally then make the switch. I can't be a 100% sure unless the items she worked on were tested but its my theory. What was found in her home? Any current pieces or sketches?"

I checked my file over. "I don't see any art supplies listed in her apartment that would indicate she was painting."

"She was talented my guess is to have this amount of money. She could afford a loft or studio to work, a lot of artists need separate spaces to create without distraction. I bet she kept her items there maybe some valuables. In this business you become paranoid, you don't let people into your space and you never work where you sleep in case you need to make a break. I'd look for something in her name or someone she may know. I only see one property listed. I myself have several, it's good business sense but your looking for a property with temperature control, not just a random space."

"What about these paintings? Anything special about them? They were found at a crime scene as posters."

"The posters themselves are not unique. I'm familiar with the Helen of Troy painting, commissioned by a Liverpool ship owner. Helen standing is similar to Boticcelli's composition of being a goddess. Instead of weapons or war in the portrait she is painted with flowers and a mirror. Vanity it portrays, it's an oil on canvas I believe currently in London.

Apollo and Nymphs are at the Louvre, the sculptor portrayed a dominant baroque style, meaning a style to show exaggerated motion. And the last I favor myself, the Leader of the Mercenaries is at the British museum. It was based on I believe the thirteenth and fourteenth century on real Condottieri of that time.

Together all three mean nothing. Separately they are amazing pieces but art is subjective. There is no hidden meaning in them, it's how it makes you feel when you look at it. In this case I would say based on these photos this is how your stalker views you and the other two men Slick described to me. Take it at face value instead of the histories that had inspired the artists of that time. The content of the scenes is what attracted the person."

We finished our dinner and returned Walker to the train station. I thanked him for his time and made sure to let him know when I was done with my lock picking, safe cracking and reading I would contact him regarding his tutor-ledge. Walker gave me a lot to think about and I saw how Ranger's business could be affected in the future.

Walker also gave me fresh eyes on Maggie Austin. I needed to find her hide out if there was one. I only had another day until Miami, so if I was going to Pennsylvania anytime soon it had to be tomorrow otherwise two weeks from now.

"She had a space or an apartment she rented that doesn't show up on a statement. She had to pay cash and it wouldn't be a temper control storage unit those are uncomfortable to work in hours on end. She was into high end things so her second place wouldn't be crappy... and the local paper ran stories about her death so a homeowner would have come forward if she want renting a room... where would you hide Slick if you were Maggie?"

"I'd want the place far enough away so it's not near my current home but close enough it's within 30 minutes. Did you run her ex boyfriends and family members names to see if anyone had two apartments? It's what I would do. If I was doing anything shady you don't want the property to lead back to you."

"She had a ton of ex's, it will take me all night to run them but family I did."

"Maggie had expensive tastes, pull up an apartment search website, add her zip code then look within 30 miles and excluding anything low end. Middle to upper spaces. See how many buildings come up."

"Four came up."

"Ok run those buildings for the tenant lists into the Rangeman data base then match the names of Maggie's associates or boyfriends. If anything matches then look for a money trail, cash not checks." I started laughing. That was kinda brilliant.

"If you find me this building I don't know what I will do, I might search all online dating profiles and find you a strawberry blonde tomorrow." Slick just smiled.

RPOV

Babe was having a late night meeting so I worked in my office on five till around 11 then went up to the penthouse. I was surprised she was still out so late she normally passes out at 9 or 10 in my t-shirt. I checked in with Slick through out the night and he assured me she was safe. I decided to leave my issues with Rachel on the back burner until I got to Miami. I ran a search on Rex and called in a few contacts I still had at the agency. I saw he paid his bills on time and gave child support to his wife but cheated on her constantly over the years through hotel room charges on his credit card. Five years ago he was a good agent, stable and hard working but received a demotion two years ago and never worked his way back up. I ran the program to search what case he may have been involved in at that time.

I haven't received a call back from anyone regarding Rex but I didn't see a dirty cop either. I wrote down his current address and planned to go through his things tomorrow. I didn't see a sign of what his issue with Steph was yet but I knew he had one by reports I received from different Trenton PD officers. They told me to keep Steph away from him right now. Although demotion can hurt a man's pride I didn't believe it was the root cause for his behavior... I heard the locks tumble on the door and got up from my computer. Babe had a big smile on her face and ran to me jumping into my arms and wrapping her legs around my waist. I wanted to think she was happy to see me but I could tell it was something else so I raised my eyebrow in question.

"Slick helped me find Maggie Austin's secret apartment, she hid it under one of her boyfriend's names. We are road tripping tomorrow to Pennsylvania!" Babe was bouncing up and down on me with her legs still wrapped around me. She grabbed my head between her hands and kissed me. I deepened our kiss and quickly walked her to our bed to celebrate.

SPOV

Ranger and I were just finishing breakfast when he saw me stuffing snacks, drinks, cds in a shopping bag. Both of us have worked so much in the past month we decided to take a few days in Miami for just us. I think he was missing our time in Greece as much as me.

Ranger told me we wouldn't stay at Rangeman because Santos had a large home that was more comfortable right on the beach near a lot of amenities in a gated community. It didn't matter to me where we stayed. Slick on the other hand would be at Rangeman. When Ranger was with me he was free to do his own activities but would have to be on call.

I explained to Ranger my meeting last night with Walker. He was curious about the whole conversation but agreed to discuss it later. Ranger told me how he was planning on breaking into Rex's place and I told him he should leave a stink bomb when he was done. Ranger just smirked and gave me his signature "Babe."

Ranger had asked Ella to pack both of us for Miami so if I wanted anything special packed to let her know. I tried to tell him I could pack myself but he used him amazing lips on me and I lost all focus. By the time I was out of his spell he was already in the elevator. I left a note for Ella anyway that said she didn't have to pack for me that I could do it myself and I didn't want to add to her work load.

Since it was a four hour drive to Maggie's secret apartment, I wore comfortable yoga pants and a sweater. Slick was in his Rangeman uniform but brought street clothes just in case. I noticed he started bringing his own emergency bag for the car these days too that included everything you could imagine for any situation.

"Did you bring your camera and scanner just in case we find anything?"

"Of course. I got a box of gloves from Ella for the car too so we don't leave finger prints. Did you bring more comedy cd's?"

He lifted his go bag. "I'll drive first and then we can switch half way if you want."

It didn't matter to me, either way we both had to drive the long trip. Our time passed quickly listening to more Fluffy, Dane Cook and Kevin Hart. We saw a lot on our journey in the car, I really wanted to stop at a few Amish stores and several outlets but we had to get to this apartment first. When I saw a sign for Hershey, Pa I moaned from the biggest craving of chocolate ever but we continued driving the rest of the way so we could hit these places on the way back.

After 4 hours and 15 minutes in the car with two bathroom breaks from me included, drinking water the size of a Big Gulp didn't help, we pulled up to the apartment building. I saw cameras in the lot as well as the exterior.

"Put on your baseball cap and try to hide your face in your scarf from the cameras. If we find something I don't want the fed's to know you were here." Both of us pulled on our jackets, Slick broke into the back door to avoid the guard at the front. We made our way to the apartment 315 registered to Milo Roark. Slick knocked on the door first just to be sure it was empty then picked the lock. "Put this protection on your shoes so we don't leave anything behind."

I frowned "Booties are not bad ass. I can't believe they are black too." Ranger may need an intervention after Rachel at some point too.

We both pulled on our gloves then Slick cleaned the door knob he had just touched from the outside.

"Try to touch as little as possible until we see what's here."

I opened up the closet near the front door, a vacuum cleaner, a few coats, I checked the pockets. Nothing. I checked the soles of her shoes too. To the right was the kitchen, Slick started searching it.

"Not a ton of food but some is moldy." We moved onto the living room which was also the bedroom. It really was a small space but I saw canvases that were blank and art supplies on a table. I didn't see any unfinished paintings but I found a sketch book.

"I'm going to check the vents see if anything's hidden." Slick grabbed his screw driver out of his pocket.

"Maggie was a talented artist the art on the wall is signed by her. I didn't see any personal photographs though." I was still looking at her sketch book page by page.

"Steph, I found a ledger in the vent over here. Records in some kind of code. I'm going to start scanning the pages but it looks like financial transactions with initials of clients and amounts. Her last painting sold was on the day the police think she was kidnapped." I just nodded. I got to the last page of her sketch book and gasped. Inside the page was a picture of me walking on the street in Trenton then underneath her stretch was The Helen of Troy painting from the factory but instead of the original face she sketched it with mine."

"Slick... look at this." He grabbed the sketch book and started scanning everything.

"Under her signature on the sketch are initials, they match the code she wrote in the ledger. H.W. and he paid $2,000 for the piece." Holy cow!

"He probably gave her a fake name but the photograph may have prints."

"So he paid Maggie to paint a picture of me as Helen of Troy and she sold it to him that day. It must have been how he kidnapped her. Did you find a phone or a contact number anywhere in the ledgers or in this room...Look on that table. I'll look around the bathroom and couch area. Check that chair cushion too."

"Clean."

"Me too."

"Leave the ledger somewhere on the table near the sketch book. I'm going to take some pictures of this place then let's go talk to security. I want to see if there are cameras that caught her leaving that day or walking around. Then I'll call Royce to come here but be vague about our involvement. I want to walk the area too... Her car was at the other apartment and it's what... not even a mile away from here. She could have walked here easily."

The kid at the desk was young, maybe 21 and not built. I knew Rex and Royce were coming here eventually so I gave the kid a fake name so I wasn't linked to the apartment. I just wanted to know if they had any video from that time Maggie was kidnapped.

"Hi I'm Katie" I flashed him a big smile and did a small giggle. Bimbo has worked in the past for me to get information before.

"I live in 215 and I've been receiving really strange things in the mail, sometimes on my car. I think I have a stalker and my sister in law's husband came to check it out." I pointed to Slick who smiled. "I was just wondering if you kept tapes that I could view with my brother in law. How old are your tapes exactly?"

"Of course." He seemed concerned about me and I kinda felt bad for lying now.

"The owners had an issue with some break ins a while back so they keep records of all the videos over the past few years for the main areas and exteriors on record in our video storage. If we keep this between us I could make you a copy... I don't want to see you get hurt." Very sweet kid. I gave him the time line of Victim 6 up until the day after Maggie was taken. The kid wished me well and we were on our way again.

"I actually felt bad for lying, he was really nice Slick."

He shrugged his shoulders "You got to do what you got to do. This is the first lead were we may see some footage of your stalker. You still want to search the area?"

"Yeah around this building to her other apartment building. I talked to security days ago at her other place and they don't have the time frame we need." We walked the area and I took pictures to review later of places he could have hid or grabbed Maggie.

"There's a park over there, she could have met him, it's where I would have chosen myself." I took some pictures.

"The benches over near the parking lot would be easy to grab her and I don't see a lot of people around. In the police report it said they felt she was taken while walking. It would be easy to blend in on these streets, lots of cover and shops."

"I'll call Royce and tell him the address. Let's get out of here. I want to see the dvd the kid made me, I can play it on my laptop in the car." Royce was practically clicking his heels in joy to come up here.

We put on our comedy cd's again then I started to watch Maggie coming and going over the months but no one watching her until the month she was taken. "Gotcha."

"Slick I found him but I need you to enlarge the photo again. The same guy with sunglasses and the hat but he has a beard in this photo too. This is him. I don't see him near a car though."

He looked at it and agreed. He wanted me to email it to him so we switched spots in the car and I drove while he played with the photo.

During my pee breaks I chose places I wanted to visit. In Hersey I grabbed hot chocolate mix, a few bags of chocolate as well as some things for Valentine's day for me. Ranger didn't eat chocolate but Ella and I did. I saw an Amish area with goods for sale so we stopped again. I picked up a few quilts I really liked as well as two hand made rocking horses that were gorgeous.

"What do you think of this rocking chair Slick, it's handmade?"

He sat in it "with a baby you won't sit in it long. It's not comfy." He was right but it was pretty. Both of us had a early dinner then picked up pies to go.

"To kidnap Violet he pretended to be a secret admirer and to get Maggie he was a customer...It's like what Walker said before, you find what drives people then exploit it to take advantage... How is that picture coming along?"

"Almost done, his face is towards the camera this time and not a sideways like the other one."

Ten minutes later Slick spoke up "pull over a minute I have the picture for you." I pulled over into a rest stop and parked. I couldn't see his eye color but he had dark brown hair and a dark brown beard. He was a white male maybe 6'1-6'3 based on the tree he was near.

"Does he look familiar?"

"No. I have no clue who that is. Can you email that picture and the side shot to Royce, we are about 45 minutes away from Trenton. It's not a coincidence I've found this guy twice."

"How do you want to proceed the rest of the day?"

"I want us to write up a fake article about me on a big case of some kind I don't care what it is, could be searching for the Jersey Devil or a Maltese Falcon. I just want it to look like I'm ignoring him, I hope it will cause him to lash out at me and make a mistake in return. I also want a separate article submitted with these photos as a possible suspect to warn people. If we wait for Rex to do this it may be too late."


	37. Chapter 37

Note: LOL. I had a question where Walker's knowledge comes from, it's a mixture of many places. Our neighborhood watch makes these hysterical pamphlets on everything you could imagine of where to hid items, other knowledge comes from "W_hite Collar"_ the TV show, some internet and lastly a book I read forever ago about an FBI agent who went undercover as an art thief and how he recovered items.

SPOV

I woke up in the middle of the night from a strange dream that felt more like a bad omen then nightmare.

In this dream Morelli and I were going to a job interview at the same building but had drove separately. We were both in a large modern office building sitting in an auditorium with movie theater style seats and a large theater screen in front. Eventually someone came in and escorted all the men out.

I had a bad feeling after a few minutes so I left the room from a side door. I was in a large hallway that had glass walls that divided the different departments. I saw someone left there keys in one of the locks of the door so I took with me just in case I couldn't get out of the building. I moved further down the hall looking for an elevator or stairs. I noticed when I turned a corner someone said "find her" with a group of people dressed in white business attire.

I saw a cell phone sitting on someone's empty desk so I grabbed it then ended up running down the hall still looking for an exit. Eventually I had to hide so I found a bathroom and locked myself in a stall. I called 911. I knew I was in Princeton not Trenton so the police would be closer then Ranger. But instead of dispatch I received hold music.

I tried again then I heard someone come into the bathroom, a woman that was blond dressed in all white business attire tried to break into my large stall that was made more for someone handicapped then a single occupancy. I knew I pregnant so I started to punch and kick her while protecting my stomach. I knocked her out then started to make my way out of the bathroom. I didn't see anyone in the hall so I made a right into a new hall finding a grey door to a stairwell.

I removed my heels and left them behind then took off at a run down the stairs. I only passed one man in the stairwell but he didn't pay attention to me. I gave up on 911 and tried Ranger but didn't get a response. I finally made it out of this office building to a large parking lot where I saw two men sitting inside my SUV. Both front doors of my car were open with them inside and they saw me. I ran to the right where another parking lot was connected. I saw another large brick office building but I tried to get people who were driving in there cars to stop for me, they didn't.

I finally called another number on this cell thinking of Rangeman but instead my father picked up. I told him I was in danger and he needed to call Ranger right away on the house line. My father stayed on the phone with me as I hid between the cars then told me Ranger's was on the way. My father started blaming himself for sending me to this location in the first place, he told me he trusted his friend to keep me safe by giving me this interview.

I didn't have a purse or weapons just me, a phone and the keys I had stolen. The man was close to finding me so I moved around the car hiding. Eventually he catches me despite my fight, drags me into the brick office building instead of the one I just escaped from while I kicked and screamed. Three men join my kidnapper, one being Cross.

We are in a hallway that is decorated like a lobby but several floors up in this building. I saw two men dressed in swat black come from a stairwell guns drawn so I free myself from the guy holding me. I hear gun shots so I plaster myself straight against the wall. I see my captors gunned down but not Cross he is gone.

Some everyday people jumped into an elevator to escape the fire fight but it goes crashing down to the ground level. It was booby trapped. The Rangeman get me to the stairs, down to the next floor where I see Ranger standing waiting for me. We start working our way down guns out. Ranger opens the door to the last floor to the lobby when I notice a little person the size of Randy Briggs standing there with a smile. She is dressed to the T with a brown fur shawl over her shoulders and curly brown hair. She looked in her fifties with a simple gold necklace and nice make up.

Ranger lowered his gun and she passed him a folded note on notebook paper. She said it was from Cross and now they were even. She turned and left the building. Ranger walked outside to talk to his men then someone said to me "Ranger must really like me to do all of this for me." I didn't know the man that said it so I responded with "it's complicated."

I walked out of the building and looked around the parking lots. I still had a bad feeling. Ranger tried to guide me to his car but I stopped him. I told him something was wrong. Ranger used his Porsche key to unlock the car from a distance and it blew up. I woke up freaked and frazzled. I told Ranger the whole story and tensed when I mentioned Cross. He reminded me it was just a dream and held me till I fell back asleep.

RPOV

I had trouble going back to sleep after Babe's dream. I believed dreams were a representation of our inner thoughts and feelings. If Babe subconsciously dreamed Cross was a threat to us then I believed she felt he was in reality. I've felt the same way for months myself gathering information on his whereabouts but the General told me he was clean. I didn't believe it, he hated me too much for some reason. I wasn't sure what triggered the thought for Steph though. She told me she hasn't thought of Cross since Greece and explained she has never had a complex dream like that before. She told me most of her dreams were about her being trapped alone or attacked, sometimes sexual dreams about me but not dreams where I save her or any ever about Rangeman.

Babe said this dream felt very different to her then the others. After she fell asleep I pulled out my phone to text my men. I wanted them to check every car, plane, home and property with a two man team from now on before Babe and I got to any location or transportation. I didn't want Babe afraid or stressed out so I made sure we would never see the team.

I believed in gut feelings, maybe subconsciously Babe was having a gut feeling. Eventually over time if it didn't pan out I could pull the teams but I rather be safe right now in her condition.

I checked Rex's apartment yesterday, he lives like a slob. It was disgusting and dirty. Dishes stacked in the sink, used condoms in his trash, bathroom with scum built up, take out containers everywhere. He did his wife a favor by cheating just so she didn't have to clean up after him any more.

I had Tank as my look out while I walked around. In his living room Rex used a whole wall with pictures and notes on the case. I started taking pictures and video for Steph to see if Rex was keeping anything out of his paperwork. I found some stray files so I started scanning everything. Rex had a thick folder about Steph. Mostly background on her.

I went into the bedroom and saw dirty sheets and an unmade bed with two sets of hand cuffs attached to the head board. I found random porno magazines and videos spread about, nothing unusual, threesomes, naughty cheerleaders, nurses. If I rolled my eyes like Steph this would be the moment.

I moved onto the bathroom to check out the medicine cabinet, all over the counter pills. I noticed a photo face down on top of the toilet tank, I flipped it over, it was a copy of my woman in a Bikini from the crime scene and it had a white stain on the corner. I saw red.

I told Tank to get someone here asap with smelly fish, spray paint, one of those blue ink die packs that banks use to mark stolen money and large individual bags of manure. Tank mumbled about how Rex must have pissed me off. Three of my men arrived 30 minutes later in street clothes with the supplies.

I ordered Binkie to put the fish inside all the vents, fridge, bed, living room, bathroom. Cal took apart the shower head and placed the blue die pack inside then reassembled it back together. When Rex turns on his shower after the clean up he will be blue for days.

I thought Babe would personally love that. I researched past cases Rex was involved in yesterday so I spay painted the walls with a gang signs from one of the cases he was involved in all over the place. When we finished our tasks, we opened the manure bags and poured it all over the floors of every room, finishing at the front door. I secured the door again then told my men this never happened.

I didn't tell Babe what I had done. I was waiting for her to hear about it today. I don't like Rex, I don't like how he treated Steph but when I saw that picture I was done. Next time he pisses me off he won't be so lucky. I was told by the control room Rex discovered the state of the apartment late last night.

My alarm went off so I made my way down to the gym for a quick work out with Tank. I came back to the penthouse and tried to wake Babe but she wouldn't get up. I tried kisses, nudges, I didn't want to use my drill sergeant voice so I just picked her up out of bed and carried her to the shower. She was annoyed at first but I more then made up for it.

Our bags were already packed by Ella by the door so I sat down to read the paper. Ella was setting up the dinning room table for breakfast. I saw a picture of the suspect Babe told me about on the front page and made sure all my men had it just in case they saw him in town on patrol. Ella spoke up so I looked at her.

"I don't mean to speak out of turn Ranger but I'm worried about Stephanie's new case. Pigeon's can be unclean in her condition and criminals having these pigeon posts to aid in criminal enterprises has me concerned. I never realized there were these pigeon lofts all over Trenton that send and receive these messages, it's very unsettling.

Is Rangeman going to implement this new system like the Trenton PD because I don't look after birds! Dogs, hamsters, cats are fine but not birds, no sirree I hate birds since I was a little girl."

"What?" She looked at me confused.

"The newspaper Ranger? Steph's new case. She's working some kind of pigeon messaging ring." I was still confused so Ella opened up to page five of my paper. I saw a picture of Steph looking at birds near a fountain with pigeons on her shoulders and head. Slick was not in the shot so I started reading the article.

"What-the-hell-is-this? Babe!" I called Steph from the table. Babe came out still in my robe not dressed.

"What...I don't know what to wear! I've never been to Miami and never to that Rangeman. I want to make a good impression. Not everything on my side of the closet is the same like you. I need time and my pants don't fit so now I'm trying on everything including my maternity clothes..."

I raised my hand to stop her. "Is there something you forgot to mention to me?" She looked confused then started to think. I raised the paper at her, she broke out laughing.

"The pigeon crime ring? Did you believe it?" She had a big smile now.

"Slick and I made up a fake story to piss off my stalker. Even the photo was altered by Slick. I was never around a single bird." She shook her head. "My favorite part was about the Trenton PD adding a bird loft to intercept messages from different gangs and crime lords."

"O thank goodness. I thought we might get birds here!" Ella looked relieved and I started to chuckle. I didn't let Tank have cats here, we would never have birds. Rex is the only exception for Rangeman and it's only because he is in a cage and Babe wouldn't move in without him. I don't know what I will do if Rex dies but I have a picture of him on my phone just in case I ever have to discreetly replace him.

"Let me help you get ready dear." Ella went to the bedroom with Steph and I went back to my paper. I just shook my head. Anyone else I wouldn't believe that article but when it involves Babe there is always a small chance of it being true. This is the same woman who drove with monkeys in her car, took in a horde of Chihuahuas, had a horse living in her apartment and almost got me run over by a giraffe named Kevin on a street in Trenton. It wouldn't surprise me if she was involved with pigeons... God I love her.

SPOV

Ella helped me pick out a simple black dress with three quarter sleeves that ends just before my knees. A thin simple brown leather belt with a good buckle as my accessory. Ella pulled out black Michael Kors sunglasses and a brown leather purse/briefcase style with handles and gold buckles.

The dress was very Audrey Hepburn _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ but more modern, form fitting with the sleeves and shorter length. It was perfect. Ella paired it with black heels that had a touch of red on the bottoms and placed black scrappy wedge open toed sandals in my purse just in case my feet hurt and I need to change shoes. Ella paired it with my French trench coat and a colorful scarf that could double for protection of my hair if Les showed up in his convertible. Ella was my fairy God mother and I didn't know how I dressed myself with out her all these years. I came out to eat breakfast and Ranger approved. He kept checking out my legs. I felt business casual with a touch of sex appeal but I wanted to blend into the building's dress code.

"I'm tempted to delay our flight and take you back to bed." I smiled at him.

"We have meetings and your famous for your self control. I'm sure you can survive til we land or we get on the plane." I winked at him.

RPOV

"Playing with fire Babe."

We continued eating then Babe checked her phone. It had died yesterday from her road trip so I charged it for her over night just waiting for her to discover what had happen to Rex. Babe started laughing and reading texts then she got to the pictures.

"He's a Smurf! Did you do this for me Batman? I asked for a stink bomb but this... this is a masterpiece."

I gave her a smirk. She came to sit on my lap then whispered in my ear "Carlos the things I'm going to do to you in Florida..." Babe got off my lap slowly dropping dropping to her knees and unzipping my pants. I was going commando under my dress pants and Babe was taking full advantage with her mouth and hands, bobbing her head up and down.

I heard my cell ringing and knew it was Tank telling me we were late. Babe just moved faster and I felt so close. I tensed then released into her mouth. Babe licked me clean. I pulled her to my lips for a kiss and after a minute she pulled away.

"We have to go were late already. Tank's probably having kitten's in the garage."

SPOV

Ranger and I rolled our suitcases to the elevator and rode slowly down uninterrupted. Tank was just staring at his watch when we got off.

"You were 3 minutes away from a search party. We need to rush now."

I put on my sunglasses to hide my eyes from Tank. I didn't want him to know what I had been doing to Ranger not five minutes ago. Slick was already in the car waiting. Ranger and Tank sat up front so I sat in the back with Slick. Ranger was leaving directions for Tank so I slipped into my purse to grab an envelope for Slick.

Inside were dating profiles of strawberry blondes that looked like nice girls within 25 miles of Trenton. It was my bonus to him for finding Maggie Austin's apartment.

He opened it and his eyes bugged out. Slick looked towards the front at Tank and Ranger. Slick had a small smile then nodded to me and placed it inside his bag. I knew if we were alone in the car we would have discussed it but I understood the power of Ranger's presence. Ranger doesn't need to speak when he enters a room, he commands it immediately regardless of the situation. I knew I would never have that skill but I admired it.

Our ride on the plane was quiet. Ranger typed on his laptop while I listened to music and read the paper work Ranger copied for me from Rex's apartment. I noticed Slick reading a comedy book by Tim Allen. While Ranger and I sat together, Slick sat as far away from us as possible. I guess for our privacy? I didn't mind if he sat with me though.

"Where can we go in Miami together? I read online last night about Coconut Grove for food and music, the Miami Zoo, the aquarium, Little Havana. Anywhere else?"

"Anywhere you want. Little Havana is sometimes good with small shops but it's not the safest to walk around. If you go there with Slick without me he has to stay close to you. Slick also has a list of places and areas to stay out of. Like Trenton, Miami has good streets and bad... When I visit I usually see Julie or stay at Rangeman. Sometimes I go to different restaurants with clients."

"Did you read the information I gave you about Rachel?"

He nodded. "We need to talk to Ron. I really don't spend time with her, our talks are usually very brief and only about Julie. I was under the assumption she was getting help in therapy about Julie's abduction but not about what you showed me. I think there may be some merit because an addiction is an addiction but it comes down to self control. Ron was there daily with her if she needed help he should have told me."

I held his hand and placed it on my tummy, I noticed Ranger likes to touch it when he's stressed.

"The babies are avocados this week, well the size I mean and they have ears now so I shouldn't swear like a sailor anymore. Morelli sent me a text this morning about the ear thing, why he is looking at pregnancy sites I don't know. As far as I know Ella isn't pregnant but it's still too early to test. Joe is sweating bullets since Grandma Bella keeps dropping off baby outfits. She is telling everyone in the Burg she had a vision Joe was going to be a father this month."

Ranger raised an eyebrow "if Ella is, our children are not dating his off spring. I'm putting my foot down now."

I laughed at Ranger. If we had daughter's he'd be that dad with the shot gun and recon her dates with a team. It would be miserable all around for everyone. I didn't think Ranger would do that with Julie though. He may run a background check on the boys she dated but in his heart, Ron was Julie's father and he was just the sperm donor. It made my heart hurt for him that he had allowed that much distance. It's hard to believe he was once that distant with me too. We eventually made our landing as Ranger held my hand through my nerves.

Slick departed into a black SUV and I saw the same guy I met almost three years ago leaning against his tricked out black Range Rover. He met me at the stairs pulling me into a hug.

"Hey cuz! Your glowing. Your more beautiful then I remember." He kissed my cheek. I was a little caught off guard since this was the second time we ever met but he was Ranger's family.

"Hi Les good to meet you again." Les did some hand thing with Ranger while another Rangeman employee was loading our luggage in his SUV.

"Your in Miami now. How's your Spanish?"

"Umm.. hi, bye, the taco bell menu and this phrase Yo no soy pendeja (I'm not stupid)." Les broke out laughing and Ranger raised an eyebrow smirking.

"Why only that phrase?"

Slick was trying really hard to keep a straight face "I listen to comedy cd's and it was part of a joke someone did. This comedian was late to his son's drop off at school and tried to deliver him to the wrong spot. The principal comes running over to tell him to move to the other side of the school and instead of just doing it, he breaks into fast Spanish pretending not to speak English. The principal surprises him by breaking into Spanish and told him to move to the other side of the school and told him she wasn't stupid and he delivered that line in Spanish.

It inspired me to order some Rosetta Stone Spanish cd's immediately. I may do that same thing one day when I get in trouble with the twin's because with our genes" I pointed at me and Ranger "were going to be at the principal, let's not pretend were not." Les broke out laughing and Ranger did too.

"Hey whatever inspires you. When you get stuck Slick will translate for you, now let's kick it. We can grab a quick lunch at Rangeman together before your meeting with Ron." We got into the car, this time Ranger sat in the back seat with me while Les drove.

"It sounds like you know a lot about me from our last chat but I know very little of you. I didn't realize you were Ranger's cousin until recently."

"I'm wounded my cuz didn't mention me, probably worried since I'm the better looking and more social." I snorted. He was good looking but no Ranger.

"I'm two years older then Ranger, have a degree in business from the University of Miami. I was in the Army for many years until I joined Rangeman. I run this office as Ranger's number two here. I'm a single Virgo that enjoys dancing and long walks on the beach with leggy blonde's." We ended up just talking about the area and things to see. Ranger seemed relaxed around Les but he called him Santos.

Ranger explained most people didn't know they were related because they didn't want the men taking advantage of the situation. They didn't want people thinking Les was receiving favoritism. I understood. Ranger had a chain of command and didn't like complications in his work. I agreed to keep it on the down low too.

It felt good to be in the know now. I was in the dark about Rangeman for so many years that it was a nice change. Les asked me questions about my case and also wanted to know about the pigeons. I was shocked he even heard about it but he had a Google alert set up about me. I decided to make one for myself too. I mentioned Ranger's pranks on Rex and Les said he learned them all from him.

We arrived at Rangeman Miami, it was a nondescript office building with eight floors. I saw the fleet of black SUV's and a parking spot for Les then two for Ranger's cars. Porsche's of course.

"Beautiful I upgraded your fob so you have access to the garage and anywhere in the building including the penthouse on the top floor just like in Trenton. You can also use our network with your same log in credentials. Slick doesn't have the same building access as you but he has privileges to be with you where you go except the penthouse floor.

Marisol is our Ella if you need anything and her husband Martin manages our building. Miguel is my second in command and people all know you by name and face so you don't freak out if they recognize you. I let the control room know you would be in the building. If you have any issues call me or Ranger. I also made you an id if anyone gives you trouble."

I looked at the picture I didn't pose for. "It's creepy when you guys just have random pictures of me." Les just smiled.

We left our luggage in his car since we would be staying at his house later. Slick took the stairs with the other Rangeman guy to settle into his apartment.

"We will give you a full tour of the building later but I have lunch for us upstairs in the penthouse ready now. I can give you a sent of keys to your car too. I also need to borrow your phone to update your contacts list for everyone in Rangeman Miami in case you have any issues, it will take 2 minutes." The building seemed a lot like Trenton with the same color walls and furniture.

"I expected more color for Miami?"

"Boss man likes black, white, grey. Maybe you can convince him otherwise." Ranger just shook his head.

We got the the floor and Ranger fob into the door. It was the exact same furniture from Trenton just set up a little differently. This had a kitchen on the right instead of the left but it had the same bowl of fruit and silver dishes for keys by the door. It was a one bedroom one bath, office and a den with a t.v.

"It's the same?"

"Makes it easy for me, saved time in ordering too."

I heard a door knock, Les got it. An older Spanish woman smaller then Ella pushed in a cart in with a huge gift basket on top and covered dishes on the second shelf. She gave me a big smile.

"You must be Stephanie! Ella told me all about you! I can't believe you aren't staying here, I would have loved to spend time with you. I can't wait to plan your baby shower for this building." Baby shower? Marisol hugged me and touched my stomach. She seemed nice but I'm just not a hug me kind of person especially with new people. My family weren't huggers either.

"I made this gift basket for you." It was huge like the size of my laundry basket back home.

"It has Burt's Bee lotion and skin care, loofahs, lip balm, shampoos, soaps, who knows what Les has at his home for you. Black olives, Life cereal, Boston cremes, jelly donuts, a special copy of _Ghostbusters_ just in case, movie candy and popcorn. I heard your crazy about oranges right now so I put some in, Belly Butter I read women swear by it. A body pregnancy pillow because I wasn't sure the size of your bump yet, Belly Buds that lets the baby listen to the same music as you or you can record your voice for the baby. Slippers, some tea safe for pregnancy, bath salts and bubbles, a throw blanket if you get chilly, a list of the best shopping places and food spots and this soft bear is for the babies."

It had a Rangeman t-shirt. It was very sweet of her. I was speechless.

Les spoke up "I had some bar soap for her Marisol. Where is my basket? Three years, I see you daily and I never got anything this nice?" He was playful with her.

She laughed at him "Maybe they will love Miami and move here. I want Stephanie to feel welcomed." Then she broke into rapid Spanish with him.

I thanked her again and she explained the Cuban dishes she had made us for lunch. She gave me another hug and took her leave.

"Wow she is amazing. And this food is really good." The rice mixed in the beef with a side of stew was spicy but yummy. I was craving orange juice so I drank it while the men drank water.

"Careful beautiful. Marisol is trying to steal you from Ella. Ella loves to cook for you and has been dying for you to live at Rangeman a long time. We don't have any other women in this building and you don't want to start a war between them. The buildings will suffer and they might possibly add fat and sugar in our meals so we waddle around in punishment."

Les and I talked about the food, I've never had Cuban and he wanted to know where Ranger usually takes me to eat. Les asked to see a sonogram picture but I didn't bring any. Was I suppose to carry it around? Ranger had one on his phone with the sound of the heart beats which surprised me. I thought that was really sweet of him for someone who once told me he wasn't family material.

Although Ranger had a blank face when he showed Les the picture I saw Ranger's eyes soften at the image. Eventually the apartment phone rang alerting us to Ron's arrival. I rushed to the bathroom quickly then went to grab my basket when Les took it out of my hands and told me it was too heavy. It really wasn't but he said he would hold it in his office for me till I went to his home.

Ranger and I took the elevator down to the second floor and entered the conference room. Ron wasn't a bad looking man, he had brown hair and brown eyes, the same height as Ranger. Ron reminded me of one of my cousin's who was German, Hungarian and Irish in his coloring. Ron wasn't in bad shape either but he didn't work out constantly like Ranger. He wore slacks and a button up with a warm face and demeanor. Ron and Ranger shook hands then introduced me.

I grabbed some waters out of the mini fridge for all three of us and sat down. Ron was looking uncomfortable now. He turned to me to break the tension.

"I never got to thank you for what you did for Julie. She told me about your time together and how much she liked you. Rachel mentioned to me your pregnant, congratulations." I smiled at him and nodded.

"No problem, she's a great kid. I recently talked to her on the phone..." I waited for Ranger to speak up but he didn't say anything so I continued.

"Ron... I'm just going to cut to the chase because I'm sure this is an uncomfortable conversation on both ends. We were hoping to speak to you about Rachel. Ranger has noticed in the past 11 years her spending was mostly responsible for Julie but around three years ago she started buying extra items for herself and your other kids which didn't pose as a problem til a year and a half ago when Ranger saw she was spending a lot now on clothes, furniture among other things. Ranger is concerned Julie's needs aren't being met in her level of activities, as well as the constant calls about your children's bodyguards. What is your take on this situation?"

"I love my wife...she is a great mother. I can provide for my family and I do." He looked at Ranger and said "I never touched the child support, it's automatically deposited into Rachel's personal account each month. Rachel pays for Julie's tutoring, clothes, field trips, hobbies, presents and activities. Julie use to be in more activities but she is getting older and now does a sport and some clubs.

I believe Julie's needs are being taken care off but since she is doing less activities, we have less people baby sitting our kids, there is more money left over each month now then before. I think Rachel was spending it on items mostly and things for our other kids as well as Julie. Rachel did that a little in the past but there wasn't much left over in the checks and Rachel usually put it into a savings account for Julie to access in the future.

Scrog changed her. She use to be warm, loving and trusting but now she doesn't trust strangers or certain family members with the kids and doesn't like to have them out of her sight which is understandable... She went to therapy for months as well as Julie, things were getting better until they weren't. Rachel believed Julie was sexually assaulted once we got back to Florida after the kidnapping and was afraid Julie was too scared to tell anyone. So we took Julie to a doctor to prove to Rachel she wasn't." I spoke up immediately.

"I can assure you Julie wasn't. He was a sick man who treated her like a daughter. I would have reported it to you if I believed she had been. She was wearing the same clothes since the day she was taken. I was the only one he changed an outfit for while unconscious and he didn't do anything to me when he could have."

Ron nodded "Ranger helped a lot with payment for therapy that insurance didn't cover, private schooling and the bodyguards for Rachel's piece of mind but she was spending, hiding the receipts. I noticed no money missing from our joint account so I had a feeling she was using Julie's child support.

We fought for many months about that among other private things I will not discuss but we saw a therapist together and things improved again. I haven't noticed any large purchases lately but I wasn't surprised when you called me. I just thought it was under control." He sighed "She really isn't a bad mother and the bodyguard issue I don't understand but I can't fight with her about it anymore. It's not good for our marriage and not good for the kids to see us fight, we try to keep that from them as much as possible."

Ron seemed honest and genuine, like a decent father. I could see how Ranger would trust his daughter with him. I looked at Ranger, he still hasn't spoken a word so I continued.

I grabbed the information I gave to Ranger from a few days ago and handed it to Ron. "I think Rachel has an underling issue that is manifesting itself into shopping. Has she talked about her issues or therapy to you?"

"Not really, she doesn't like to talk about it, mostly we talked about the kidnapping or the bodyguards, the kids. We try to avoid conversations now that will lead to a fight." That's not healthy for a marriage, I didn't want to say that to him though, he seemed nice and didn't need a stranger to point it out.

"I just want to say, this is none of my business. This is Ranger's money of course and I have no stake in this fight. I support myself, have my own business and my own home so this isn't about Ranger's money for me at all but he asked for me to help him in this situation because he is concerned he won't have continued visits with Julie if he changes the support setup to make it so Rachel doesn't have direct access and you do instead.

I know you own your own business and are good with money. My idea, which will also help Rachel with her issues is to change the support check to an account you only have access to for Julie's needs and any left over goes into an account for Julie to get a car one day or have college money for extra things she may need like books or housing so Rachel can't binge anymore. Ranger will continue to pay for the private schooling because your family's profile was raised from the kidnapping but in regards to the bodyguards... do you believe your children need them honestly?"

"No. Maybe Julie but I like having them for piece of mind, not as a necessity."

"Do you know how many times Rachel has called Ranger, Lester and Rangeman to complain about his employees?"

"In the beginning a few times, now I'm not sure." I turned to Ranger.

"It ranges. I was in the wind and had 10 missed calls since September but she has also contacted Tank, Lester gets weekly calls sometimes." Ron just shook his head.

"I'm sorry. Are you pulling the guards?"

Ranger spoke up "Steph had an idea that we pull them if Rachel continues to complain and just have a discreet one follow Julie from afar, intervene as necessary. As it stands now the children are never alone. Rachel is always with them or you or they are at there school which is monitored by Rangeman. All of there activities as well are currently in secure locations with adults you trust. It's not necessary to have them but I did it to help Rachel feel in control again, I never expected it to be a permanent thing except for Julie." Ron just nodded.

"I respect you a lot Ranger. I know you could have pulled your support anytime over the years and haven't but Rachel will take this as an an attack especially because Stephanie is pregnant. The night she found out she made a comment about that." Ranger wasn't pleased hearing that so I stepped in before he said anything he might regret.

"But Ranger isn't pulling his support, he is just switching it to your control and if Rachel needs therapy then she needs therapy. Insurance covers it, anything over the requirement I'm sure Ranger would help with or you can pull that money from the child support if there is a left over amount that month. And the bodyguards won't be pulled if she stops complaining.

I'm planning to talk to her before we leave the day after Julie's party regarding that. I have a bodyguard myself, it's not a big deal and I'd like to meet the men and observe them with your children so I can understand the situation and explain it better. I plan to do that over the next two weeks while being here."

He nodded again "I'm going to be honest here, she may get pissed and angry and say Ranger can't visit anymore out of spite but I think your ideas are trying to help our family and not hurt us." He looked at Ranger "regardless of what happens if you would like to see Julie when you visit we can always meet us somewhere else other then our home. I wouldn't let Rachel keep you away that would hurt Julie. She is very curious about you." Ranger just nodded and told him he would appreciate that. We agreed to meet at the party and have a meeting the day after with Rachel. We said our goodbyes and walked him out. Ranger got us back into the elevator then we sat in his office to talk on the couch.

"He seems nice. I think he is just between a rock and a hard place right now with Rachel and like you doesn't want to make things worse."

Ranger pulled me into his arms "thank you for your help, I'm not best with words but Ron seemed to relate to you better then he ever has with me. You have a gift with people that's why I let you lead in that room."

I placed my head on his chest and snuggled into his warm body "that's what a team does Batman. Your practically magical at everything else. I got this talk but your handing the bird's and the bee's, puberty and if one or both of our babies are boys your handling anything to do with his penis including potty training."

Ranger just kissed my head and said "You always know how to brighten my day."


	38. Chapter 38

SPOV

While I stayed in Ranger's arms we discussed our plans for today. He had a long meeting with Les about Miami's operations. Client files and complaints, implementing new procedures, reviewing financials, reviewing building maintenance of not just Rangeman but Rangeman's safe houses. When I asked what that last part meant he told me sometimes safe houses needed to be sold if they were used too many times over the years.

I found out when a property is used to often they find new locations to scout almost every three years just in case a client spills the beans about a location they themselves had to use at one point. Ranger told me he usually sells the properties to a Rangeman employee to purchase or rent's the properties to employees since security is already established in the layout and part of the rent. Other times these properties become investments for Les, Tank and Ranger that they have someone else manage the property for them. Silvio and Tank both rent Rangeman properties. I was surprised I never knew that before. When Ranger asked me my plans, I felt all over the place.

"I don't know exactly. I'm kinda tired but I have a lot to do. I still need to get my tour from Silvio, I need to re-read about the guards assigned to Rachel's kids, I may even follow the guards discreetly with Slick today to put my stalking skills you taught me to use." I gave him a cheeky grin.

"I'll keep those men last to review then. I'm interest in your notes. We normally don't guard children so our operating procedure is constantly being updated, having your point of view would be helpful. I'd like your notes so I can put men in place for the twins one day." He grazed his finger's across my stomach.

"Why doesn't Rangeman protect kids normally?"

"Insurance reasons but were also not babysitters. I don't want Rangeman accused of inappropriateness if one of my men was alone with a child in a room or car. The only way that would ever happen is if there was a direct threat and they need a safe location.

I don't believe any of my men would ever hurt a woman or child but kids lie all the time for attention. I didn't want my business to be accused of anything. The bodyguards for Rachel's children follow them after school and during activities but not alone in Rachel's home. When Rachel and Ron are with the kids they follow in a separate car."

"That makes sense I remember you telling me that was one of her complaints..."

"Knock knock." I heard Les's voice so I removed myself from Ranger's arms. He told him to enter. Les walked in with Slick and Silvio. I've met Silvio once before, he trained me on the research desk. Older guy but detail oriented and patient.

"I guess it's time for my tour of the fortress."

"The moat should be coming in soon it was back ordered along with the dragons." I snorted. Les was such a smart ass.

"A merry man with humor, a rare and fascinating breed." Les just winked at me. "Catch ya later alligators." I did my signature finger waive and walked out with Slick and Silvio.

RPOV

Les sat down in my guest chair, I moved back behind my desk.

"How did your meeting with Ron go?"

"Fine." I glared at him to move on. I didn't like talking about my private business.

"How's the search going for Tank's number two?"

"Long. I want to hire within, someone that has the experience with the company for many years and who will be a leader in a management capacity but has to gel well with Tank. Tank will try people out the next few months then offer someone the position since both branches are growing rapidly, this was bound to happen sooner rather then later.

In another three years Anderson said we will have to expand the buildings or buy up the ones next door and connect them to run operations. He will keeping his eyes open for a good deal.

I don't want Rangeman as large as it was before though, four buildings in four states." I just shook my head. "I'm looking to stay in New Jersey and Florida only. None of us want the hassle to travel anymore then necessary... Is Stephanie's shadow in place when she leaves the building?"

"Ya I chose Louie. He will also check her car when it is unattended but I had the works put on the BMW for her including bomb sensors. Anything in that car altered or the lock picked, the control room will be alerted. I also alerted all the men she's your woman and not to mess with her.

I like her a lot cuz. I liked Steph before at the re-decorating job but she is kinda cute in a girl next door way with a quick wit and some substance... Not your usual type..."

I raised my eyebrow and glared at him "My woman is not up for discussion with you unless it regards her safety or well being." Les just raised his hands at me and smiled.

"I'm just excited to be an Uncle. I can't wait to meet the hell raisers. I picture them dressed all in black waiting for the darkness of night to fall then they climb out the windows and cause havoc all over Trenton. If they look like you with Steph's wit and social awareness they could get away with murder... You better start locking up your car keys when they walk or they will joy ride like we did." I just shook my head. I'm going to have to lock up everything not just keys.

I started getting to work but I pulled up Babe's trackers on my computer to monitor her throughout the day. I wasn't worried her stalker followed her here, we didn't travel under our names but Babe had an uncanny ability of finding trouble.

SPOV

As soon as we were out of Ranger's office Silvio returned to the man I use to know and smiled at me.

"Let's start in the dungeon and work our way up." We entered the sub floor that held the cells and interrogation rooms, same as Trenton. The only difference was an extra floor in the middle of this building for employee apartments. Ranger was very consistent with both buildings in furniture and set up. Some areas were flipped in some sections but the floors were the same overall.

"So Silvio how do you like Miami?"

He smiled and shrugged "It's ok. I kinda miss Jersey. My wife has family down here and hated snow...It's just really different here. I think for a long time I had some culture shock. I speak fluent Spanish but...we deal with some Miami clients who think they are elite but more of a pain in the ass. It's more of a party scene and I'm not a bar hopping trendy kinda guy. I do enjoy the beaches but the traffic is a bitch..." He raised his eyebrows in shock he cursed.

"I'm a big girl you can say that word." I started giggling.

He nodded then continued "Your dressed perfectly right now for this area but you will see when your out and about Miami loves to show skin. Some people can pull it off, some can't. There is a lot of Latin influence, people will wear a lot of bold colors, form fitting clothes. I hate dressing up for dinner too but that's the style in this area.

At night you will see lots of people going to events and the club, if you go it's extremely flashy outfits. My wife loves wearing that big sparkly jewelry too. South Beach is the place to be seen, so dress to impress. I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt kinda guy. I love the food, sports and museums so I'm pretty happy...One piece of advice, driving here you need to be very careful. I don't know how to describe it exactly, it's like Mario Cart but with a ton of traffic." Jersey isn't a picnic either.

"I have no intention of moving here anytime soon like Marisol hopes, I may just come to visit in the summer and swim for vacations. I just bought my dream home and I like being close to Grandma Mazur."

He nodded "I'm really happy for you both, I was secretly rooting for you two to get together and now babies. Summertime is a killer here with the heat and humidity. Just remember Miami is a melting pot, like Trenton where each street has different neighborhoods so does Miami." We walked a little further then stopped. "Here is my cubicle I just need both of your phones to updated it with Miami's contact lists."

Afterwards Silvio took us to our reserved conference room then went back to work. I took out my fob and disabled the cameras and sound.

"This building looks the same, operates the same but doesn't feel the same... What are your thoughts? Have you been here before?"

"No. Only Trenton. The only person I know is Silvio because he's the permanent research desk that helps with issues and support for both offices. It feels weird for you because were outsiders...think of Trenton as your unit, switching to a different building makes you part of the team but your still an outsider until you earn their trust. With you being Ranger's woman they will be weary of you, careful of what they say because they don't know about you. No one wants to piss off Ranger that's why no one talked to you during the tour."

"I get it. Are your accommodations ok? I can move you if they aren't."

"Fine same as Trenton. Food's a little spicier but I liked it." I leaned back in my chair and groaned.

"My back is bothering me today... and we have a few objectives to accomplish and I don't feel like it one bit. We need to check out the victim's homes and areas, try reaching out to their friends and family before I drop in on them and we need to find Winnie's ex-husband. He's slippery, he lives with different girlfriends and mostly pays cash for everything. I really don't want to go to a stripper bar but if we have to then we have too.

We also have this file that belongs to Rex to review. I haven't seen anything yet that he kept out but for a long time his theory was a woman was kidnapping these victim's and killing them. But we found a picture of a man twice watching both victim's so I feel like we can mostly rule that out... I also need to work on a special project with Ranger that I really can't explain to you in depth but between us I'm doing a quality check on three bodyguards that watch children daily to see how they act so I can meet with a client in two weeks to discuss any concerns she has. I also thought it would be good to watch how Rangeman interacts with children to take some notes for myself in the future but I'm still planning to be in Tampa all day tomorrow to review Renee Griffin's home that her friend inherited... Did Les give you a car?"

"Yeah." He had a big smile.

"Don't tell me it's super expensive... He knows my luck with cars."

"BMW X6. It's an SUV, fully loaded black and white interior, black exterior and it's registered to Rangeman. We will make the drive in about 4 hours from here."

I just nodded. Slick started looking for Winnie's ex and reading over the files from Rex while I dug into the men that watched Rachel's kids everyday.

Ranger made me copies of there files and my notes on them from before. In the first few months it seemed several men tried out for the position but it was narrowed down eventually to three with different rotation on weekends. The men Les assigned were the least scary out of the bunch from both Rangeman buildings. The men were clean cut, family backgrounds including siblings or kids of their own. None of them had any criminal history and clean records in their military careers.

"Did you contact any of those ladies I printed out for you to look at?"

He kept his eyes on his laptop. "Maybe." I smiled at him.

"I normally wouldn't get involved but I'm having one of those days where my focus is scattered."

He sighed and smiled. "I'm looking for a sweet woman who has her own career but likes to go out and have fun. I don't know about kids yet but I like a nice set of legs and curves."

"So a little junk in the trunk... Did you make up a profile, if so can I see it?" He sighed and typed into his laptop.

"It's a private profile so people can only view it if I accept them for security reasons and I didn't use a real name." I started reading it over.

"It's kinda basic and plain... let me look up a few other profiles of men to get an idea what to write." I searched on the site and clicked on random guys. "Whoa... some of these guys on here are horrible. Listen to this "P_eople notice my long eye lashes a lot since food gets stuck in them." _I laughed so hard.

_Another one wrote "I'm considered by women to be "manageable" many have attempted to tame me, all have succeeded in a matter of days." _Obviously some like to make their profiles into jokes, others are just looking for a hook up by writing they practice safe sex... this is why I never went on dating sites myself but the women seemed mostly normal last night.

Let's go back to your page. Hmm...we should mention your nice, kind and sweet looking for a girl next door that understands your work is demanding but likes to spend time with you at home and around town. You enjoy comedy shows, laughter in life and love... Add a shirtless picture of yourself and you will have a million responses." He didn't seem convinced.

"I will bet you front row seats to any comedy show of your choice by the end of the week at least 75 girls will message you."

"And what do you want if you win?" I thought about it.

"A favor that I can use anytime, no questions asked." He thought for awhile and agreed. Slick went back to his computer to search for Winnie's ex while I returned to my guard files.

Mason McClure aka Mace was once in the Army Ranger's, decorated solider, many younger siblings, mostly sisters and lives with a girlfriend and her 7 year old son. Never married but they have been a couple since high school on and off then got back together four years ago after he left the service, been together since.

Blond, clean cut, no tattoos and has an ear piercing. Per Rangeman standards he isn't permitted to wear any jewelry other then a watch and a wedding ring. I see he has never been written up for any infractions. Skilled in installations, makes clients feel at ease. Mace's skilled in hand to hand combat were off the charts and his gun range levels are within standards. I reviewed Rachel's complaints about him. She said Mace didn't report to her the children's needs or whereabouts and wouldn't have conversations with her friends or the children's friends when they tried to engage him. She also complained she felt he was too stiff.

Arnoldo Scully aka Scully was a marine. Clean cut and suave, he reminded me of Matt Bomer. Once engaged but currently single. He has a son that is 14 years old with his ex fiance. He pays child support monthly and has visitation with his child regularly. Scully excels in sales as well as computer operations. He often tests systems for vulnerabilities and entries. He has several tattoos but they are on his back. He also has one on his chest covered by his uniform.

No write ups in two years. Rachel was upset he wouldn't drive the children for her somewhere or take them home among the same complaints she had about Mace. Rachel said his favorite thing to say to her is "Rangeman protocol."

The last man, Elvis Eastman aka King was a SEAL who grew up in a large Italian family near New York. His specialty was water operations, guard work and patrol. He was a big guy, 6 foot 4 and had a flower tattoo with his wife's name on it that was on his arm, only exposed if he moved certain ways. King was married with two children both under five. Rachel had the same complaints as the other two but complained about King's tattoo and his gun exposed on his belt.

This is freaking ridiculous... I would have bit this in the butt after month three. I understand having a bad fit the first three months with so many men trying out for the position. Even I had to try a few guards to find one myself but I feel she would have found fault with anyone. Ranger himself could have been the guard and I don't think Rachel would have been happy.

Maybe she was complaining out of spite to make Ranger feel worse about Julie's kidnapping. Ranger told me Rachel never directly said she blamed him but he felt she did. I remember during that time Ranger was severely injured with multiple gun shot wounds and broken ribs. He refused pain meds once he was released from the hospital and suffered in silence.

I remember how guilty he felt over the situation when I came to visit him at Rangeman with a birthday cake and some flowers for him. It took me most of the day to cheer him up a little. Ranger mostly fed me the cake instead of himself but it was a good moment that we bonded over. I'm sure Ranger offered Rachel assistance for Julie's therapy and future safety. Maybe Rachel took out some of her anger by trying to indirectly punish Ranger. If Rachel outright attacked him, he could have pulled all support. I think Rachel cares too much about the support to say or do anything directly.

Even if Rachel had discussed her feelings with Ranger I don't see him giving her a normal response either. Ranger isn't one to respond with feelings back...Looking at the past three years the longest conversations he has had that I've witnessed was with me, Morelli and Tank but only about work or a security issue. Even our conversations before we started dating were 97% work related. Occasionally when Ranger tried to tell me an actual feeling he was having for me he would screw it up with a qualifier because he didn't know how to express himself with the words.

It wasn't until we went on the run and spent months together day in, day out, that I wore him down and we finally talked hashing everything out. I don't see Ranger having personal talks with anyone except me and maybe Tank once in a while. Even with Les, Ranger's own cousin, Ranger is relaxed in his presence but tight lipped about his excitement over our pregnancy and anything private about our relationship.

I think back to any friends I have met of Ranger's that weren't work related and I can only think of one. Robert Kinsey, he was ex-Special Forces in Ranger's old unit that now owns an Electric Supply Company. He married Amanda Olsen who I liked a lot as a person. I need to ask Ranger how they are doing now... Ranger was his best man and yet I barely saw them discuss anything other then the threat. I even asked Amanda at the time if Kinsey had Ranger to be the best man from the start or was he added in like me at the last minute. Amanda told me Ranger was part of the plan since the beginning which was surprising to me at the time. I wonder if Ranger wrote a best man speech? In my mind a best man is like a best friend yet Ranger didn't show any emotion or have any extensive conversations with him.

I've never seen Ranger pick up women but he is very good looking and sexy. All he has to do is smile and women would come in waves. Even with me, a passionate kiss, a small innuendo and I was putty in his hands most of the time...Ranger also doesn't have a social life. He likes work and only does things when I recommended them. I instigated most of our activities in Greece and yet until this moment I never realized just how cut off Ranger is from everyone. I'm surprised he even let me in at all.

I started chewing my lip debating whether I should run a deep background on Rachel. I don't want to go in with a preconceived notion about her but at the same time having the background may help me pinpoint her issues since the adult men in her life don't know what to do... Something to think about over the next few days.

"You wanna go on a field trip to a private school?" Slick just nodded and we cleaned up our papers. Slick showed me how to look up a tracker and I found Mace's location at the school. We parked in the lot and I saw Mace go to the door and collect Julie.

We were granted access passed the gate for the school only because of our Rangeman id's since they did security here. I noticed Julie's smile. She was the spitting image of Ranger. Mace and her talked briefly but Mace was aware of his surroundings. We followed discreetly as they made there way to the soccer field. I switched into my sandals to make it easier to walk and put my hair under a baseball hat. Slick had changed his clothes before we left Rangeman so he wouldn't stick out. We sat on the far side of the bleachers and watched Julie play soccer. She was athletic like Ranger. I thought of our babies being the same, it would be a pity if they ran like me.

Mace was never far from Julie always paying attention. I could see Mace constantly checking adults for id's and weapons. I had my legal pad out taking notes on him and overall it was positive.

"What do you think Slick?"

"Following procedure, dressed appropriately, child seems comfortable and safe in his presence, he is maintaining a safe and appropriate distance." Slick and I pretended to be one of the parents since we were sitting near a few. I noticed the women all wore high end designer clothes and accessories, dressed like it was an event not a soccer game. Most played on phones or read a magazine, gossiped with each other but no one paid attention to us.

Mace looked over to our area once or twice but didn't recognize us.

"Practice is ending. Let's move. It will look weird if we keep sitting here without a kid." We moved to the other side of the building and got back into our car. Julie and mace came around the building and sat on a bench waiting for Julie to be picked up. Twenty minutes late Rachel pulls up. Julie gets into the car, Mace walks to his car near by but Rachel doesn't wait to make sure Mace is following, she just drives away.

"Am I crazy or did you guys forget to tell her to wait for the guard to be behind her when driving? I mean that's what I've done since day one but no one told me I just felt like it was common curiosity. Julie and Rachel could be car jacked in traffic and Mace might not even know."

"We usually drive our assets or drive with them but I assume they would have told her since they do drive separately. I haven't read the specific standard operating procedure for the child but you can access it at Rangeman and if you can't Ranger can give it to you. My privileges are restricted since I'm from Trenton." I made a note to ask Ranger. We followed Rachel to a restaurant where I saw Ron in the window with the two other kids. They all sat down and ate. Mace couldn't see us because we had tinted windows but I noticed him acknowledge the other two guards as they all monitored the area.

"This is the biggest waste of money. These men should be guarding real client's, they all have impressive backgrounds. Julie I understand but the other two kids.." I just shook my head.

Eventually the family came out and I got a better look at Rachel. She was dressed up, very put together. She had long black flowing hair, some Latin features and was pretty. She was about my height with a large chest but looked like a size 12 in her pants compared to my 6-8.

I know it's petty and it shouldn't matter but I liked being thinner compared to her. I only know two women Ranger has been with sexually, her and Cat Woman. Cat woman was physically perfect but cold and conniving. When it came to Rachel, Ranger never said anything specific other then he didn't love her and she was a one night stand.

I watched Rachel closely, she reminded me of my mother or Valerie, trying to be the perfect housewife and mother. Rachel's other kids were all well dressed and looked more like Ron then her. They all got into there cars. I expected them to be on there way home now so I didn't bother to follow.

"I need to ask you something really childish, I hate myself for even asking but I need to know because I'm feeling insecure, I ask that this conversation stays between us... did you think that woman we just saw was beautiful?"

"The one with the kid's and her husband?" I nodded.

"She was ok, she isn't fat or anything but I think she wears too much makeup and her clothes looked like a Stepford wife."

I sighed "What I mean is did you think she was prettier then me?... I need you to be honest with me though, normally I'd have this conversation with a woman like Mary Lou or Connie but your what I got right this second so... Honest Please."

"I think your more beautiful although her daughter looks familiar like someone I know."

"Your investigating with me so I guess you should know that we just saw Ranger's ex wife and daughter."

Slick's eyes bugged out. "Are we stalking them?"

I laughed. "Yes and No. Ranger asked me to look into the bodyguards for a few reasons but mostly because the twins will have them one day and I will probably have to be involved with the procedure writing. Our goal was to monitor Mace which we did. I didn't think about the Rachel thing till she walked out."

"I won't tell anyone, I will assume this is a girl thing I will never understand but you having nothing to be concerned about we all see how Ranger looks at you. Trust me you are very attractive even more so now that you are pregnant." I looked him dead in the eyes. I could tell he wasn't lying so I felt a little better. I blushed a little red, embarrassed I even asked him.

"Thanks. I'm just going to blame the pregnancy hormones on that question and never ask you again... but if you feel I'm ever letting myself go, you need to tell me immediately."

Slick just laughed and shook his head "Women."

"Let's get back to Rangeman, have some dinner in the break room. I'm tried of being Nancy Drew today."

Slick and I returned to Rangeman and made our way up to the break room. There were a few guys eating but no one said anything to us so we sat at a table by ourselves. After a while I started fidgeting from these uncomfortable chairs.

"Your back bothering you still?" I just nodded. "Finish eating and I'll stretch you out in the gym." We grabbed the spare keys to Les' car for my clothing then Slick changed his clothes as well.

We entered the gym and a few people were doing weights and running but no one said anything to us. They just watched. Slick gave them all a dirty glare to stop. I appreciated the effort even though it didn't help.

"On the mat and lay flat on your back." Slick walked me through some stretches although it felt better it was still annoying me a little.

"Your sneaking some yoga into this. I hate yoga."

"I'm helping your back, stop complaining or I'm going to eat your treats from the massive gift basket I saw earlier." I shut up right away.

"The other option is to massage you and I rather not die today." I laughed. I doubt Ranger would kill Slick ever.

"Ella gave me this book on self defense for pregnant women to show you because she was worried you could be attacked. It had some really good ideas. Do you want to practice a little?"

"Sure. I saw that in one of Ranger's books too and I saw at the doctor's office they have mommy and me self defense." I just shook my head. What was the world coming to that someone would attack a woman with a child or pregnant.

Slick came at me many ways and although, I was a little rusty I got away. I even knocked Slick down once or twice. Then Slick practiced coming at me with a fake knife. After a while I needed a break so I just sat down to take a breather.

"Not bad. But you don't carry a knife. Do you know how to defend yourself with one?"

"I have once against Razzle Dazzle but I don't feel comfortable stabbing someone. I rather not learn at this time. I just started carrying a gun not that long ago. I'm not ready to learn especially while Pregnant. I'm more likely to run then fight to protect the babies... I checked my messages earlier everyone believes our fake newspaper story so I expect the stalker to possibly act out within the next week but he has the green light to take someone. If that happens I want to be at the crime scene asap. If someone gets taken I won't be able to sleep until I find her but that doesn't mean you need to follow in my footsteps. I was told I had other guards on standby when you need days off."

"I'll be fine. You work I work. Do you want to walk the treadmill or you done?"

"I'm too tired. I just want to stretch again a little then steal a couch somewhere to read. Rex's theories are nothing like ours and I'm trying to follow his logic but he's all over the place. I heard Rex took a few sick days since he got smurfed. I personally think no one deserved it more."

Slick smirked "What about Morelli?"

"He keeps sending me different facts about pregnancy. I don't know what he is doing or thinking. I'm trying to give him space personally to work things out for himself and only respond to professional things at this point. I haven't really responded to anyone not even Connie and Lula who want to hang out all the time. I'm just focused on this case except for today. I don't want anyone else to die.

My mother's on a warpath too so I'm at the point I listen to a voice mail for ten seconds, when I hear her yelling I just delete it. Kloughn though loved his spy camp certificate. He is telling everyone who will listen that he will be like the guys at Rangeman soon. It's kinda sweet." I finished my water and got off the mat.

"I've been running the pattern through my mind and I'm the last victim so me and the person before me will be New Jersey but the first victim can be from anywhere. He usually picks one state, each new year then strikes once then the next two victims are from the same state. We might not even know when a girl will be missing until we find a body...I've had a few crazy ideas about how to piss him off but I don't know if he will attack me or random women if I play them out."

"What kind of crazy ideas?"

I looked at Slick's eyes "I thought of faking my death, maybe he would come to my funeral or post I'm getting married randomly to someone and the location. He may show up."

"Your right that is crazy. Let's not do any of that." Slick started laughing "We will come up with a better plan. Who knows what we will find tomorrow. People may have avoid you on the phone but when they have you in front of them that's a different story."

We walked out of the gym and I said goodnight to Slick. I went back up to the control room floor to Les's office. Both men were just finishing their day. It was almost 10 pm and I was exhausted.

"Nice moves Beautiful, saw you on the feed." Les was being playful so I just gave a small smile. Ranger kissed the side of my head and wrapped his arm around my waist guiding me to the elevator.

As I watched the elevator doors close I hoped tomorrow would bring a better day then today.


	39. Chapter 39

SPOV

When we arrived at Les's house last night I went straight for a shower then flopped into bed. Ranger massaged my back and shoulders turning me into jello. Before sleep could take me Ranger flipped me over and made love to me. I could tell he needed the connection after his long day, not just physically but emotionally. When Ranger wants to show me how he feels he tells me with his eyes and whispers sweet words to me in Spanish. Most I don't understand but I catch the word love at times.

I usually wake up in Ranger's arms and find him rubbing my stomach. I find it sweet and adorable how much he cares. I didn't know what to expect with Ranger in the beginning while pregnant but he has exceeded all expectations. I couldn't ask for a more caring partner and I believe a wonderful father to my children. I thought about Morelli, I didn't see him being the same way with me if this was the opposite situation. I pictured him wanting a quick wedding and making me stay at home and us constantly fighting. I was thankful to be with Ranger and have him accept my choices. I opened my eyes to look at him. He kissed each eye lid then my lips.

"I'm surprised your not at the gym?"

"Santos has one here. We are leaving in an hour. Do you want to drive with us or separate to Rangeman?"

"I'll drive with you guys. Let's shower I need to ask you some questions about yesterday." I pulled myself out of bed and grabbed Ranger's Bulgari and my shampoo that smelled like mangoes. I noticed when I used it in Greece, Ranger would constantly smell my hair and nuzzle my neck more then my root beer shampoo or the ones I use to get from the dollar store. I grabbed my loofah from my gift basket and started soaping us.

"So I followed Mace, I really like him as Julie's bodyguard he reminds me of you in a little" I explained all the positive things I noticed about his performance and how Rachel didn't wait for him to get in his car before she took off. Ranger explained to me that Rachel has been told many times by the guards not to do that... Hmm she knows not too yet she does... spiteful comes to mind which was my thought yesterday too.

"I've been reflecting on our meeting with Ron and it didn't come to me right away or I would have told you... You mentioned Rachel has never directly blamed you for Scrog but you felt she did... I think it may be possible she is taking out her anger on you against the bodyguards by complaining. Her shopping addiction may also be an outlet for her anger or from the trauma of Julie's kidnapping... I think their are a lot of things in play here then just one simple cause based on what Ron said yesterday."

"Why wouldn't she just tell me directly she was mad? My sister's always told me immediately growing up."

I tried not to laugh because he seriously didn't understand women. "Women can be spiteful, not all but some and it depends on certain situations. When I caught Dickie cheating, I destroyed some of his favorite things just out of spite and you know I'm not normally that kind of person but in the moment it felt good and right. Maybe Rachel was worried if she verbally attacked you, you wouldn't continue sending child support so she found a different outlet to handle her issues, the shopping, when that didn't help her feel better she attacked the one thing you take great pride in, your company."

He just shook his head. "This is another reason my life didn't lend itself to relationships, I don't like games and I don't like complications. If Rachel was angry she should have just told me, a man would just tell another man or start swinging a fist then it's done."

"Hey." I poked him with my finger as he was rinsing his body. "Not all women do this shit. I've never once played you and I tell you when you piss me off, so don't revert back to your relationship bullshit with me now."

Ranger did his version of a sigh by dropping his shoulders a little. "You know what I mean, not you. I'm not great with words... I'm more a man of action." Ranger took me into his arms and really kissed me. When Ranger broke the kiss he started shampooing my hair gently. I understood that about Ranger a long time ago. His words didn't match his actions. He'd tell me I was entertainment then loan me his men and cars that I sometimes destroyed.

At the time I didn't know how to take comments like that from him because it could have been in a good or bad way. I think he meant entertainment in a good way, that I made him smile or brightened his day but I could see how that could confuse people who didn't know Ranger.

"I've been debating whether or not our solution we posed to Ron is feasible with that new thought put into play about her spite. Ron might not be able to handle her if she is angry at you and he carries the purse strings from now on. It's like putting him in front of the firing squad.

I thought her addiction was an emotional outlet for her but I think we need to remove Ron out of the situation now and have a third party administer the money at this point. Ron and Rachel can request the funds but they need to have receipts to submit to be reimbursed or have a check automatically sent to what Julie wants or needs. That way it doesn't put more strain on their marriage... I also want to do a background check on Rachel so I can see the full picture. I don't want you to leave here feeling things are unfinished and nasty between you and their family. Is that ok with you?"

He nodded "I trust you. Do what you need. I just want this resolved as cleanly as possible."

I kissed his lips as I dried my body "I'll do my best."

Ranger and I got dressed and made our way down the hall to breakfast. I didn't notice last night but Les's home wasn't a bachelor pad at all. It was warm and modern with natural colors and throw blankets, fire places, a few scattered pictures and mementos. I saw Les cooking at the stove in just a pair of basketball shorts... I guess good bodies run in the family.

"Put a shirt on Santos." Les just smirked and winked at us. I grabbed the plates he put together and drinks from the fridge. I could tell which one was Ranger's by all the vegetables and lack of cheese while Les and I had the same thing. We all sat down and started digging in. It was yum.

"You're a great cook what am I eating?"

"It's like an omelet with cheese but I put fresh salsa on it, some extra peppers and onions inside. Our health nut over here got an egg white omelet with veggies."I smiled.

"I appreciate you didn't make me the same thing as him, do all the men in your family cook?"

"Most. Our Abuela Rosa cooks constantly and drags us all in to help at one time or another growing up. We have a big family, everyone shows up for a party and it's all hands on deck in the prep... Although I enjoy making my ladies breakfast in bed. I usually get dessert afterwards too." I gave him a smirk that didn't surprise me one bit.

"Your home is beautiful, it reminds me of the penthouse. Did Ella do this too?"

"Ya she loves decorating, anytime she hears someone in Rangeman is moving or changing out items she chases them down to be included. You can't complain about the results." That was true our house would be amazing, I barely lifted a finger, I just said yes or no and like Mary Poppin's it just happened.

"I heard you have a new house am I invited to visit?" Ranger raised an eyebrow not pleased. I gave Ranger a playful push then returned my eyes back to Les.

"Of course. Your Ranger's family, we have plenty of space."

Les laughed then got semi serious with me. "Don't say that to anyone else in our family, they will all move in and never leave. If any of our extended cousins ask you for cash you tell me or Ranger too, don't give anyone anything... some are like cats, you feed them once and they keep coming back. Our cousin the bail bondsman here in Miami is a card shark don't let him take you."

I smiled at him "You must be special then I've only met you."

"I am the best of the bunch. Are you two coming to the New Year's Eve family party down here?"

Ranger had his blank face in place and seemed like he really didn't want to go. "I didn't know about it but I don't care. Whatever Ranger feels like doing that night." It was true we could just sit and watch the ball drop, as long as I kissed him at midnight that's all I wanted.

"Oh no beautiful this is the party of the year at my Aunt's house. If Ranger doesn't want to take you I will." Ranger looked pissed at him now. I'll have to ask him in private what that's about. Does he not want me to meet his family for some reason? Or does he really just hate big parties? They seemed to be ESP each other and I was annoyed now.

"I didn't get that Rangeman super power your both using right now, anyone want to clue me in?"

"I think Ranger's concerned because our family is curious, they ask a million questions and love to be in everyone's business. In the past a few times it has been a little wild at my Aunt's because she invites everyone, at least a hundred people come, not all family but friends too. Occasionally some fights break out or people try to pick fights with each other but the food is amazing and the music is a live band. If it gets out of hand you two could just leave but you should get Steph use to this now in my opinion. Newark isn't much better although Abuela Rosa is the sheriff there, she will whack you when your inappropriate or fight. Don't think your safe just because you aren't technically family, she will get you too, Ninja fast reflexes." Ranger still didn't respond.

"We can just have a relaxing dinner or something here instead of a big party." Ranger seemed to relax his shoulders. He kissed my forehead and started clearing our plates to get us out the door. Les gave me the codes and keys for the house so I could come and go as I pleased.

RPOV

I could have punched Santos when he invited us to my Aunt's party. If I introduced Babe to them before my parents then my mother would never let me hear the end of it. I didn't want Babe around a bunch of people, most I don't know or haven't seen in over ten years that drink, flirt, fight and purposely cause drama. People always question me about everything or try to fight me when drunk to prove their tough.

I didn't want Babe to be overwhelmed or put into an uncomfortable situation, she thinks she has a big extended Italian family but it's tiny compared to mine. The Manoso clan has a lot more bad apples then good. It's impossible to protect against a threat with that many people in an one area who I know for a fact carry knives and guns. It's one reason I don't go to family parties since I was 18. I wasn't going to subject Babe to that especially pregnant. I knew a lot of the women would treat her poorly as well because she didn't speak Spanish and wasn't Cuban. I could care less but I remember some of my aunts had that issue with Rachel among other things.

We all made our way into Santos's Range Rover. I saw Babe playing on her phone reading messages. She started snorting which most men would find unattractive but I found it cute.

"Royce messaged me the full story of what happened to Rex this morning. He wanted to tell me in person but I explained I am sick with the flu instead of out of town... so _Rex came home to his apartment and could smell something really bad from the hall when he realized it was from his apartment he called Royce for back up because he thought a dead body maybe inside, he didn't want to touch the crime scene. Royce thinking a body, called Trenton M.E. and the forensics team. So everyone shows up 30 minutes later, all guns drawn and they open the apartment. _

_The light burned out inside the room so Rex walked in to turn on a different light and fell to the ground. Royce flashed his light and found manure all over the floor in every room. At this point everyone had to put on masks just to enter the apartment. They saw the walls spray painted then people started gagging from the fish smell. _

_They checked the whole apartment and found no body but took a million pictures thinking a gang did it. Rex tried to order the task force to clean up his place but everyone flat out refused and ran out. Rex hired a cleaning company and paid a crap load to fix it that night while he stayed at a hotel. The next day Royce goes to Rex's apartment to check on him since he called out for a few days, Rex refused to open the door to him. Eventually Royce needed to show him something so Rex opened the door a crack and Royce put his foot in the door pushing it open completely since he was acting strange. Rex's whole body and hair was completely blue, not an inch missed. _

_Rex said "I'm blue Royce...I'm fucking blue._

_Royce said "I'm blue da ba dee da ba die...All day and all night and everything he sees, is blue like him inside and outside (Eiffel 65, I'm Blue) and then Rex pushed him out the door and Royce said "Aww why'd you have to be so blue?" _I started laughing again. I loved that song once too.

_Royce took pictures before he was kicked out. He told me he noticed on his living room coffee table different items and chemicals trying to rub it off but nothing seemed to work. _

_Eventually Royce left and forwarded the picture to a few people, me included. Some people took that picture and added a smurf hat, word bubbles, one said "Keep Calm Smurf On" with his face on a poster at the Trenton PD. _

_It got back to Rex's boss so he was ordered to come in and report. Rex tried to get out of it but eventually he had to go in. _

_Now this is the good part... he dressed in a long coat with gloves and a fedora hat to cover his hair. Rex tried white powdered makeup to cover the blue on his face but it looked so scary he was tackled by security as he entered the FBI building and arrested... Royce said he doesn't know the outcome of that meeting yet but he will let me know." _

SPOV

"That just made my day." I started wiping tears out of my eyes from laughing so hard. I responded to Royce telling him I needed that tape asap.

We entered the Rangeman together then parted ways. Ranger reminded me to be careful and check in. He gave me a small kiss and lightly touched my stomach. I saw Slick in the break room waiting for me, he had a big smile on his face too.

"You heard about Rex didn't you?" He just nodded.

"He will probably get pulled from the case for embarrassing the agency which would be good because his notes are completely worthless, lacking in any amount of detail. He was especially rude to the victim from Vermont's fiance, pretty much blowing him off for a long time then when he realized their was merit to the case and a pattern he went back for more information but witnesses refused to speak to him... Could be one reason people aren't calling you back too. It seems Rex didn't leave a good impression on people, carrying a chip on his shoulder from the beginning thinking this case was beneath him."

I agreed. I read all the notes from Rex last night too and Rex didn't believe in this case from the beginning. All of his statements from the witnesses were jokes and he seemed to be coasting while Royce's notes have the same theories as we developed on our own. If Royce was the senior agent I think this case would have been handled better. Ranger mentioned one contact told him that Royce tried to go around Rex at times but their boss overruled him because Rex was friends at one time with their superior who went to the academy together... Maybe Royce will get promoted out of this situation.

"I just need to run a background on someone in the conference room then we can leave. I'll lock the computer and grab the results when we get back." Slick nodded and went to the car. He had his go bag with food and snacks for us in hand.

I used the Rangeman laptop in our reserved conference room then searched every program we had about Rachel. I didn't feel guilty anymore since Ranger gave me permission to investigate. I made my way down to the car and jumped into the passenger seat.

We listened to some satellite music on our long drive. I felt my work phone buzzing multiple times so I deleted the gossip and saw another text from Joe asking to hang out, maybe grab so pizza from Pino's. I told him I was under the weather and not leaving home for a while. I saw a few more guilt/shame texts from my mother so I just deleted them. If it was important Grandma or Val would have called too.

"Being a grown up sucks... I remember recess and coloring, going to the movies and on dates in high school, thinking since I was six I can't wait to grow up and how great it would be but when your an adult you just want to be a kid again with freedom of no responsibilities. People should warn you about that when your young, maybe I would have enjoyed my youth more, did a few more wild things then I did. I'm definitely telling the twins, I'm not doing the sugar coated version either I was fed. It was absolute crap... I already know Ranger's going to be the disciplinarian. I'm going to be the more easy going mom I think."

"I don't see Ranger as a send a kid to there room or put them in time out kinda dad...I see him more as giving a kid a tooth brush then having him scrub the floor in the bathroom, dig a trench or run three miles to build their character's. It's going to be fascinating to watch." Slick smirked and I cracked up.

"It still feels weird to think I'll be the mom to someone, I feel like I'm just starting to grow up myself."

"Your going to be cool and fun. I wouldn't worry." Slick and talked about babies a little more then we came to the house. It took us a little longer since I had to pee a few times and stretch my legs so my back wouldn't bother me again today but Slick didn't complain once.

"The new owner is Hershel Forrest, he inherit this house from Renee Griffin. She was the one who had fluid in her lungs and looked least like me. I want to check in with Hershel, see if he has any of her things left then I want to walk around near the college where her body was and talk to her neighbors." Slick just nodded. We got out of the car and I noticed it was a middle class area with just a few neighbors on this street. Hershel wasn't much of a house keeper. The lawn was overgrown and trash was piled up on the side of the house.

We knocked and rang the door several times. I knew someone was home because the car was in the drive way and lights were on inside in the back rooms. When Hershel came to the door I noticed the smell of pot right away and his blood shot eyes.

"Hi Hershel, my name is Stephanie and I'm a private investigator looking into Renee's death. Did she mention anyone following her or bothering her, any love notes or new clients?" I said it slowly but he seemed really out of it, thinking for a long time.

"I don't remember, your not cops right?" He kept looking behind him, nervous.

"No as I said we are investigators, we could care less about your stash. Could we look around the house at Renee's things?" He looked up at the ceiling to think. O boy.

"Sure as long as your not cops because if you were you have to tell me first." Moron. That wasn't a real rule. He just went back to the kitchen and left the door open for us to continue his baking... yummy brownies. My mouth watered a little. I was about to enter the house when Slick grabbed my arm to stop me.

"No. Don't go in yet. I have some masks in the car. I want you to double up on the masks then put your scarf around as the third layer for protection." He had a good point. I agreed to wait on the porch so he could grab the items.

Hershel saw me and started to giggle from being covered up "Bummer." He was having a giggle fit with his mixing bowl licking the spoon but missing his mouth. Slick stayed close to me.

I put on some gloves and started to go through the rooms. Most of her stuff was still here but I didn't see anything unusual. I went into the kitchen and looked around. I found her appointment book with contacts but no appoints the week she was taken. I slipped it into my purse to take with me. Business must have been slow lately but she had money in her bank account?

Hershel was a real slob. I looked in cabinets, vents, pockets of clothing and inside her shoes. Nothing. I saw a door for a basement, I went down the stairs and found where Hershel kept a majority of his stash this wasn't just for his use, he was a dealer. I wonder if Renee was into this too? They were best friends. I would have never guessed her background was clean and she didn't seem into any drugs from what I read. I went into the kitchen to find Hershel, he couldn't understand me with my masks so Slick repeated my questions. I asked him if Renee was into this life style?

"Ya she sold a little on the side to pay bills, her loans from college, not a lot but to other friends and family sometimes. She was super smart she knew who to trust so she never got caught."

Slick spoke up "Was her stash in this house? The police report didn't mention finding any pot or drugs when they searched here?"

"Nah she kept it at my place because she had clients come over here and didn't want anyone to find it. She use to help a few kids too with speech lessons and would only mellow out occasionally with a brownie." Hershel tried to offer us some brownies on a plate but Slick pushed it away from me and moved between Hershel and me. I knew better then to eat a pot brownie and Hershel was no threat.

"Why didn't you report her missing if she was your best friend? Why did a neighbor?"

He shrugged his shoulders "I party a lot. I had an accident a while back, I live off the settlement. I don't even know what today is but I'm getting hungry..." he started scratching himself looking for a menu. I told Slick let's go. We thanked him and left.

I took off my masks then checked the smell of my hair and clothes. I didn't smell strong but I didn't want to ride home like this in a car for hours either.

"We need to get new clothes, shower at a hotel after we speak to the neighbors... I don't want to get pulled over like this. Ranger will be pissed if we get arrested and it will be hard to explain."

"I have back up clothes for the both of us in my go bag. Ella gave them to me before we left NJ." I smiled. Ella thinks of everything.

We knocked on the neighbor's door, a little old woman answered with her cat. She yelled she wasn't interested in buying anything. I introduced us and asked her if she could talk about Renee.

"I liked Renee, she always helped me when a storm happened or would watch my cat when I was away. I didn't notice anything wrong until her mail piled up, she usually told me when she would be away. The neighbor's across the street are renter's they change frequently but I've lived here for 30 years, she was a good person. When I went to her funeral only a handful of people came, mostly client's and that pot head next door. I hate him. I report him constantly but the cops think I'm a nuisance. They are just lazy.

That pot head is the worst! Orders pizza all day long and gives them the wrong address so they annoy me. I'm home everyday, I watch this street for rapists and pedophiles, I learned all about them on Dateline, I keep the watch."

"Did you see any new clients that look like this picture?" I pulled out the two shots of our suspect. I would have asked Hershel but he was as high as a kite and I was worried he would start finger painting with the batter next.

"He looks familiar but not a client... I think she went on a date with him...I say date because she was all dolled up one night and that was unusual for her. It wasn't around the time she was taken though this date was a few months before but he looked more clean shaven and suave in a suit. He opened her door like a gentleman." I jumped on her with questions.

"Do you remember what he was driving? Any scars or tattoos? Anything unusual about him? A name?"

"I don't know, I keep a notebook of activity on this street let me get it... Have some cookies and juice on the table. I will be right back."

I went for a cookie and Slick lightly slapped my hand away.

"They could be poisoned. You never accept food and drink from stranger's, your parent's should have taught you that."

"Only Grandma Bella would poison someone where I grew up, she'd usually use a meatball, this sweet little old lady with a flowery sofa, lace on her table and freaking napkin rings on her napkins isn't a serial killer. Why would she poison us?"

"People do strange things for no reason. Do you want to take the chance?" I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. He had a point I was poisoned before but I still didn't think this lady had it out for us.

"Here we go dear. I just need to look for the day, I marked it with a star and her initials just in case she didn't return that night. I only ever saw him once, she told me it didn't go well, no sparks. All I remember is that they ate at the park in town by moonlight, a picnic I think. I didn't notice scars or tattoo's." I wrote down the license plate and started scanning the pages to research back at Rangeman. It wasn't many cars so it wouldn't take long.

"Why didn't you give your notebooks to the police?"

"That Tex something or other was very rude to me, he called me an old cat lady. I gave my other notebook from that time of Renee's disappearance to the police but they returned it to me after a week. They said nothing panned out."

I asked her for that notebook too and started scanning the pages. Slick was on the phone now with the control room running that license plate. We talked for a few more minutes then I left her my card.

"Car was a late model blue mustang, stolen the night before Renee's date from 30 miles away. It was found a few days later in a bad neighborhood completely taken apart."

"Smart. Damn. She said the other neighbors would be a wash because they are new. Let's go walk around the college area a little then grab a shower at the hotel maybe some food.

We walked the area Renee's body was found. I took a few pictures then laid on the ground to get a feel for the area.

"From this spot their are no cameras facing this direction and a lot of brush. I am easily hidden from the parking lot. No bodies of water near here." I got up and dusted myself off. We decided to talk to the college security guards but none of them noticed anything strange. We were told a person with a dog discovered her body.

Slick spoke up "I'm starting to notice a pattern with the victim's. They look like good girls on the outside to the world but they do bad things in private. Renee sold and did pot sometimes, Maggie forged art, Violet was a member of a sex club. Maybe he finds those things unacceptable so he takes them away from their lives. Maybe he see's something in these women that remind him of you. I don't know... I guess he notices them for some reason then stalks them to discover their secrets. We should email every town that had a victim with this guy's picture to see if anyone comes forward."

"Royce already did that when I emailed him. Local Pd's were in charge of letting the paper's know and they started a new hotline number for it. I haven't heard anyone call but I'm not sure he would tell me right now."

"Could be just a coincidence these women have secrets. No ones perfect, everyone has something they don't want people to know, us included." Slick had no idea.

We made our way to a chain hotel and checked into a basic room. He ordered some takeout to be delivered while I showered first. I brought my new clothes in with me so he wouldn't see me in my towel. I thought I heard my phone ring then I heard Slick talking. I just continued to relax in the blissful warm water figuring out my next move. We needed to head back to Miami and track down Winnie's ex husband and I needed to read the background check on Rachel. I'm even tempted to break into her therapist's office and copy her file so I go in prepared. I feel like that maybe going over board though. People tell therapist's extremely private things but I don't want to waste time in Miami dealing with her bullshit either. I know Ranger is stressed about this situation already. It's not morally or legally right... I'm not even sure Ranger would be ok with what I'm thinking even if it would help him. Maybe I won't tell him and if I win my bet with Slick I will make this my no questions favor.

I heard Slick knock on the door. "Silvio found the ex, he is playing poker tonight at a bar in Miami at 10 pm, if we leave in an hour we can make it but you need to move it along."

RPOV

I've been working in my office most of the day with Santos. I told him Steph hasn't met the Newark family and I'm not prepared for that meeting anytime soon. I have too much going on right now especially with Rachel to add them into the mix.

Santos promised to back off but told me once things get cleared up I should just bite the bullet and take her then I can avoid any personal interaction for another year. He told me I should just surprise my parents one day at there house so my mother doesn't have time to invite anyone else. It was a solid idea.

I noticed Babe's trackers at a hotel on my computer. I trust Babe completely but I wasn't pleased with her location with Slick. I dialed her number but she didn't answer. I called Slick and he picked up immediately. I didn't hear any deception in his voice when he explained the situation. Although I understood I wasn't pleased. I ordered him next time to get two separate rooms that adjoined even if it was only for a shower.

"Don't trust your girl?" I glared at Les.

"I trust her completely. I don't trust the men she comes into contact with. Morelli's on thin ice with me. I expect he will get a visit when I return. He still has a hard on for her and isn't getting the message to move on. That Fed Royce flirts with her every chance he gets even though he's aware of our relationship, you know I protect what's mine."

Morelli was stupid, he let me get close to her too often, asking me to protect her instead of doing it himself. He rarely got in my face when we spent a lot of time or even nights together. He never once told me to back off or stay away when he knew I was in his territory poaching.

"The only time Morelli even came at me with a punch was in Hawaii. Your a man, if your on again off again woman was in a hotel with another man you'd have something to say." Santos nodded.

"If Morelli had cared for her he would have committed to her or marked his territory in some way to me. I see him trying to weasel back into her life but I'm not going to let that happen. I'm not stupid enough to let him or anyone else poach."

"Why not just beat the shit out of him?"

I just shook my head "Not without cause. She wants to be friends with him. I attack him and she gets pissed at me, he looks like the innocent party. I'm not giving him in inch."

"Smart. All the men are talking about her... I haven't heard anything bad but they think her relationship with Slick is weird... How you allow them to be so close. They talked about her training with him and spending days with him, eating in the break room together."

"I pay them to work. She doesn't know anyone here what do they expect. Were both working and she knew Silvio for a day before he left, Marisol came on a little strong about moving here. Slick was placed as her partner for a reason, he isn't going to trust men he doesn't know first hand around her. I watched them together on the streets and working in the war room, he is as protective of her as I am... Let the men know if I hear anyone gossip about her or me they will be meeting me on the mat's."

Santos just nodded. I gave him a look to shut up and work now.

Tank POV

I was working at my desk on a client contract. I opened my top drawer looking for another pen when I saw the envelope Steph had given me for Christmas. I looked over the information from the match maker's background as well as her company.

I saw on the introduction letter a password and username to access her website to fill out my information that would be used to help her match me with someone. At first I thought it was a joke and told Ranger I wouldn't do it but I have been lonely lately. I thought I was hiding it well but Steph must have picked up on it.

I see Ranger with Steph and never thought I'd see him so happy. I want something like that too, maybe not the kids part but the companionship. I can try this route. If it doesn't work I can just stop anytime. I logged onto the website and started filling in the questionnaire and profile about myself. I kept it short with only a few details. I mentioned some interests, likes and dislikes, things I do in my spare time. I marked questions about my availability for a woman and things I look for in a partner. Some of these questions asked what my life goals were, marriage, companionship, house, kids, animals. I wasn't expecting this much detail so I answered honestly.

I also made a note letting her know I do work odd, long hours and have an unpredictable schedule in the security field. I didn't want a needy woman, she needed her own career too. At the end I noticed I had been working on this website for three hours.

The last page was a date and time selection I had to pick and meet with this match maker. I decided to just bite the bullet and pick the first time slot tomorrow. Regardless of the outcome I will never tell anyone I used this service and eventually I could just break into her office and delete any record of me at anytime.

I'm a little nervous I will be told she doesn't have anyone for me. I'm not great with women. I'm a big man, 6'4, with no neck. I'm not a good looking guy like Ranger or Santos where woman come up to them constantly. I'm not a talker. During my relationship with Lula she did all the talking and that worked for me.

I started researching the area Ranger and Steph were moving too. I noticed the neighbor to her left is the last home on that road and it's a dead end. If Ranger or I made an offer we could secure the area better. Ranger could also purchase the land straight across from the house increasing our security radius.

I always told myself if Ranger settled down in a home, I'd be in the area as well. If we bought up the homes from both sides of there house, one house could be mine and the other could be turned into a safe house to be used if the area was compromised or monitoring area that Steph's security team would be at while she was at home.

I never thought I'd see Ranger with a stable woman, let alone with kids but they oddly make each other whole. It makes me think I might find someone one day too... I feel hope for the first time in a long time.


	40. Chapter 40

Note:Sorry the last few chapters have been a little slow in the story I had to lay down some foundation to build upon for some upcoming events like the meeting with Rachel! Stay tuned and thanks for checking out my story.

SPOV

Slick and I arrived thirty minutes before ten to _Strippers on the Beach_ a play on words of Sex on the Beach. Classy... It wasn't a high class bar so our jeans and t-shirts didn't matter. I looked over at Slick and he seemed uncomfortable.

"Have you ever been to a joint like this Steph?"

"Ya a few times... Where do you think FTA's in Trenton like to go? Disneyland?" I went into my bag to grab a picture of Reid Grey, Winnie's ex husband. Winnie was the victim who died of antifreeze poisoning. Reid was a good looking guy, I could see how he would attract a lot of women but personally a cheating sleazeball.

I decided to mess with Slick "Have you ever been to a joint like this?"

He was caught off guard by my question and started to cough uncomfortably. I gave him a big smile.

"I don't think any less of you. I've talked to a few strippers in my bounty hunting days. They make more cash some nights then I make in two weeks... As a woman, I appreciate there ability to cash in on there assets while swinging around on a pole in six inch heels... If men are willing to waste the money then why not. Right?

Do you know how hard it is to walk in heels let alone dance and fly about? The amount of upper body strength they need to do that? Crazy... Lula and I tried strip aerobics once at the Y, and let me tell you it's not as easy as they make it look on stage. Those girls deserve every cent." I didn't want to scar Slick by mentioning Lula was also wearing a leopard spandex mini dress trying to climb the pole like an inch worm exposing herself from both ends. I shivered from the memory. Personally, it was a one time thing for me to try and tone my body instead of jogging. I will never try it again.

Slick and I got out of the car, I passed him Reid's picture to memorize. The security at the door checked our id's, ladies got in free so I paid Slick's cover charge. The room was dark with three stages setup with smoke and flashing lights. A long wooden bar was on the right side of the room and the tables scattered about.

The floor felt sticky, I hoped it was from spilled drinks and not other fluids.

We took a position a few tables from the door to grab Reid. Slick and I sat close together to look like a couple instead of two individuals looking for someone. A busty waitress came over, to Slick's credit he kept his eyes around the room instead of her body. He ordered a beer for himself and club soda for me.

Slick was being very professional, I never once saw him look at the stage at the entertainment. I wouldn't have faulted him if he had. If this was Chippendale's or _Magic Mike_, I'd steal a few peaks out of curiosity. A busty blonde in a police woman's uniform made her way over to us and offered us a show. Slick shook his head. I pulled a $10 bill to make her go away. Our drinks arrived and I noticed Slick bring the bottle to his lips but not take a drink. After numerous attempts by the entertainer's to engage us, I noticed Reid enter through a side door instead of the main entrance.

Damn. We were in the wrong position. I got up and made my way to him. I didn't notice Slick bombarded with dancer's behind me. I caught up to Reid and tapped his shoulder.

"Reid Grey?" He looked at me strangely then pushed a chair down between us and took off running through the bar pushing people out of the way. The chair bumped my shin and hurt. Why do they always run?

I climbed over the chair in an un-lady like manner then ran after him out the side door he had just entered from. I was in a dark alley with very little light but I saw him running towards the back lot. I started to chase after him but he was screaming "Cop!" as loud as possible. What?

People around the lot started running in all directions, taking off in cars. A few men I noticed were 30 feet behind me smoking on a wall while I had two guys that looked like gang members starting to walk towards me. I stopped quickly and turned my body sideways to see both groups of men. I got a bad feeling so I pulled my gun out of my shoulder holster. The men that were walking towards me stopped but had a creepy smile and were speaking Spanish about me.

"I'm not a cop! I just need to ask that guy a few questions about his dead wife. There's a killer on the lose that I'm hunting! I don't care about what you guys are into!" They didn't seem deterred. They started speaking in Spanish again. Slick came up running next to me in that moment with his gun raised too.

The man on my right took a step closer and I clicked off my safety. "I will shoot you... Back off now!"

They started laughing and speaking in Spanish. Slick spoke in rapid Spanish back. The guys that were on my right that were smoking, decided to walk away with their hands raised. Once out of sight Slick had one hand on my jacket lightly guiding me in a different direction backwards while his gun was trained on the two men with me.

We moved slowly trying to get out of the lot. One guy backed off and got on his phone whispering something. I didn't like the look he gave me. The other guy was still speaking in rapid Spanish to Slick. I could tell he had a gun in his waist band and another on his ankle.

"They are calling for reinforcements. We need to move quickly. Don't lower your gun until we get out of here." Slick started to move me faster backwards while checking behind us and keeping his gun trained on the men. We were almost to a corner when I saw the gang member go for his gun on his waist. I fired.

Slick pulled me around a wall for cover then pushed me towards another alley to run. Slick positioned himself directly behind me for protection. I could hear the man screaming and shouting about "his knee cap" and to "kill that bitch." I kept running in the open streets but we were further from our car with no way to circle back.

"I hit the panic button we should have back up soon just keep running look for a cover position." We ran down another street and I thought I saw Jeanne Ellen at the end waiting on the edge of a corner. I stopped short. Slick did too. He got a bad feeling just like me.

"We shouldn't go down there, it may be a trap." He pulled me in another direction, finally getting to the open street where other bars were hopping with people waiting in lines. We discretely placed our guns into the waist band of our pants and Slick threw his arm around me. I knew what he was doing, he was shielding my body from behind while keeping his hand on his gun.

"Slick we need to get out of the open. We can't circle back to the car from here." We saw a blue Explorer speed down our way so Slick pulled me into a club line hiding us behind some people. I felt my back against the cold wall.

"We won't get in here. We aren't dressed right, we need to hang out for a bit."

"Did you see her too?" He nodded.

"Something doesn't feel right. It's like Reid knew who I was when he saw me. Like it was a setup to lead me to that parking lot. Then we see Cat Woman in an alley not that far away? No. She looked annoyed too like she was waiting for us in the wrong spot."

"Keep your back to the wall and stay behind me." Slick's phone started ringing and he picked it up speaking in rapid Spanish. He hung up.

"Two minutes out. We moved between too many buildings for them to get to us sooner." I looked around the streets.

"Slick look down the street, on the right. It's her black Jaguar parked." Slick started looking around quickly, when he didn't see anything he started looking up at the buildings across the street from us checking out the windows.

"I don't see her anywhere."

"Hold your position. Do not move until we have backup Stephanie. I'm serious."

I saw a Black SUV screech right in front of the line.

"That's our ride."

Slick positioned me in front of him then moved me to the car quickly. Slick opened the back door and pushed me inside then followed. Slick grabbed some bullet proof vests from the trunk area and started strapping me in one then himself. I didn't recognize the man in the front seat since Slick was practically covering me with his body but I caught a glimpse. He was in plain clothes and not a Rangeman uniform. As soon as he heard the door close the man sped away with us.

"Unknown Subject in the area, military training with Julio and the gang on our asses. Vehicle may be compromised."

"Injuries. Clean up?" The man asked.

"None." None? I was really confused now.

"I shot someone in the knee! What are you two talking about!"

Slick looked into my eyes "He means our injuries and if we killed anyone. He was a gang banger Steph he won't report you..." I didn't even think about being arrested til now.

"Breathe Steph your looking a little crazy. You did the right thing. He was going to shoot me then sell you." Slick put a seat belt on me and kept my head down in case of gun fire.

The driver spoke up "We got a tail following three behind. Keep her down." Slick pulled out his gun again and so did I. I felt us take several sharp turns... I heard horns blaring at us then the control room on the car phone speaking rapidly in Spanish with our driver. I seriously needed those cd's.

"Slick what's going on? I can't understand him." Slick was in full bad ass mode now. The playful friend and partner was gone.

"Our reinforcements are too far away, stuck in Miami traffic from a larger car accident near Rangeman. We're on our own and moving further out of the city to lose our tail. It's not safe to get our car. It could be a trap from either threat."

"How did he get to us so quickly then?"

"Miguel was on an assignment in the area. He took our panic call." I still felt confused.

"Rangeman protocol states a panic button triggers all available Range men to respond on or off duty as long as they are armed and equipped with a bullet proof vest that are in the area."

I groaned "Seriously I just hit her. I think this is a bit of an extreme over reaction on her end... Ugh I am going to need so much cake to get over this night since I can't drink anymore... When I get my hands on that little piece of shit Reid, I'm going to twist his balls right off so he can never enjoy another stripper again." Slick just sucked in his breath and held it a little.

I don't know what it is about men and their balls but whenever someone threatens a manhood regardless of who it is they all act as if it's their own. You don't see women do that with boob shots.

RPOV

Les and I were reviewing new security plans for our Rangeman safe houses when I heard our phones trigger a panic alert. Regardless if our phone is on or off, placed on silent, the alert will override the phone and sound.

Management only gets those alerts when the building is compromised, a safe house is compromised, a car goes off grid, a patrol car signals for backup or an individual client trigger's it themselves.

Since the beginning of Rangeman I had set up special codes for Me, Tank, Les and then Steph. If Babe is missing it's Steph 411. If Babe is in danger it's Steph 911. When her or Slick trigger a panic button it automatically shows Steph 911 to me, Lester and Tank as well as the control room and her shadow. Then the control room alerts all available units in the area and sometimes the police depending on the situation.

If Babe was kidnapped, myself or my second in command gives an order for the control room to alert all employees to search for her. My men receive the coded text with Babe's picture and last known location. It doesn't matter if a man is on or off duty, depending on the alert they respond unless they are guarding someone already or on an assignment they can't leave from. All my men are hired knowing they are on call for emergencies.

When I saw the 911 for Babe I dropped everything and ran out the door with Santos on my heels. I called the control room from my car and sped out of the underground garage. Les patched us into the control room communication with Babe's shadow.

"Sit Rep."

"Parking lot behind _Strippers on the Beach, A_sset chased suspect through the bar with her guard delayed behind her by a minute, suspect exited through a side door with Asset and guard on tail. Security locked down that exit causing me to exit through the front and around the side into the alley. I entered the alley and saw men running towards me to get away from the back parking lot. I heard a gun shot." I held my breathe a little when Miguel said that. "I saw a gang banger holding his knee bleeding on the ground with his friend on the phone. To my left I saw the Asset run away with her guard running for cover. I intercepted both men that the Asset had fired on then disabled them from following. Asset and guard were moving to fast to track on foot, I'm headed towards the main club strip. I circled back for a vehicle since they were running in the opposite direction...I'm one minute out now."

I heard Slick talking to the control room relaying there location. Babe was against a wall with Slick covering her with his body and using the people around him as cover from any shots including a sniper. Slick said they were setup and Jeanne Ellen was in the area. I was taking the roads fast but we were stuck in traffic from a truck that flipped over.

I heard the control room say a different patrol car was 20 minutes from there location due to traffic. I heard Miguel's car stop and a door open then slam. I could hear Slick's voice telling Babe to stay down. I heard him relay no injuries and no clean up. I relaxed a little bit.

Slick and Miguel were relaying different conversations when we made it around the accident finally. Santos was checking his gun and putting on this bullet proof vest in the front seat of my car. I took the streets faster to get to her. Miguel was having trouble losing the tail and Slick was being vague about Babe's shadow. Good. I didn't need the argument about two men on her.

Santos spoke up "Just like the old days. We never get this exciting shit here in Miami." Santos had a big smile on his face and if I wasn't driving so fast I would have punched him. When I heard Babe scream she shot someone in the knee I felt proud and Santos laughed. When I heard Babe say she needed cake, I knew she was ok. If she was really upset she'd want _Ghostbuster's._" I'm really starting to hate that movie.

"Take her out of the city Miguel. Try and keep your tail until backup takes them out unless under fire." Patrol was five minutes out.

"I want the tail alive for questioning otherwise take care of it." We had all been speaking in Spanish so Babe couldn't understand us. I didn't want Steph to know what was going on and be upset.

I heard the patrol take out the tail's tires then the suspect's car hit something. I could hear on the com units, the patrol approaching the vehicle with their guns aimed at the suspect, giving him a clear warning to surrender. I heard the patrol warn the man to put his hands up then taking him into custody. They were going to clean up the mess of the car then bring him to a private room at Rangeman so I could have a chat with him.

Miguel said he didn't see anyone else following but would continue to evade until he circled back. We agreed to meet at a parking lot of a local mall that was the middle of both our locations to pass Babe off to me.

"All men debrief midnight conference room A." I disconnected from all communications.

"What are you thinking? Jeanne Ellen trying to kill her? The man in the car part of her team?"

"I don't know. It may be her stalker or someone else. Slick said they were set up. I need to hear his version after Steph's."

"She's a tough cookie I respect how she handled everything, most women would be in tears by now." Babe was not most women that was for sure. Santos kept talking so I tuned him out, falling into my zone. I pulled into the lot and parked right next to the SUV. I got out with Santos.

I ordered Miguel to go clean up the trash at the bar he left detained then destroy any video in the area.

Slick still had Babe covered for her protection. I gave him a nod to move up to the front passenger seat while Santos got into the driver's seat. I helped Babe sit up as I got into the back with her. I took off her bullet proof vest checking her for any injuries.

Babe kept telling me she was fine but I had to see with my own eyes. I put my arm around her shoulders then told Slick to report. After his run down of events Babe told me her side. Neither were lying or showing signs of deception. Santos and I made eye contact in the mirror. We were thinking the same thing.

Babe apologized for the trouble but I told her it wasn't her fault. I kissed the side of her head and let her rest on my shoulder as I saw the adrenaline leaving her small body. When we arrived at Rangeman I ordered both men to debrief in 20 minutes. I disabled the camera's in the garage then carried a sleeping Babe in my arms to the penthouse. I took off her clothes and placed her under the blankets. She looked like an angel. Her stomach was starting to round and her breast engorge more. So beautiful.

I kissed her lips lightly then kissed her stomach. I never thought I would want to end my government contract, it was the one thing in my life I enjoyed until now. I lived for the rush but I get a similar feeling just being in Babe's presence with a mixture of peace. Like an addiction I crave her. When Steph is in danger, I have to shutdown my emotions to help her and keep a level head. I feel so many things after I get her back safe... Things I never felt before from a mission or from my life. I'm still having a hard time processing it myself at times.

I was never more thankful then this moment I made her learn to shoot in Greece. I checked her gun over and left it near the side table. I left her a note on the side table in case she woke up confused and scared. I told the control room to alert me if she called them or left the Penthouse. I didn't want her to see what I had to do.

I took those feelings I had inside of me and channeled them. I felt an uncontrollable rage simmering but instead of hitting everything in sight like most men, I get more quiet waiting for my moment to strike. My men from tonight's operation were all sitting at the table waiting for me. I walked to the head of the table and sat next to Santos. I took out my fob to disable the camera's.

"Report."

I looked at my two men from patrol, Hawk and Shea. Hawk spoke first. They slide an id to me. Carlo Foy was the suspect's name.

"Carlo's background will be complete in one hour with a print out of the information on his phone. We are also running finger prints to match in the database to confirm id. Basic background, hired hand with a prison record for numerous assaults. Carlo wouldn't talk when we questioned him. Car was cleaned and disposed of."

I turned my attention to Miguel "Area was cleaned and taken care of, no feeds in the area and the black Jaguar was missing upon my return. I've alerted the control room to look for Jeanne Ellen on the patrol. I will alert our street contacts we are looking for as well." I moved onto Slick. I knew his story but I wanted his take on Babe's skills or anything else he didn't tell me in the car because she was present.

"Asset handled the situation well, she was only out of my sight for less then a moment while chasing the witness. Their was no way we could have foreseen walking into a trap. Reid Grey screamed "cop" which is why those two gang members got into our faces.

Asset had a level head and went for her gun immediately keeping her body between the two threats until I could take one side and she the other. Neither threats had weapons in hand but the gang members wanted to sell her into a hooker operation then kill me.

We scared off one group then had a face off with the other. Asset gave a clear threat she would shoot then clicked off her safety on her weapon. She had no nerves and aimed at their chest approximately 30 feet away. We couldn't go back the way of our car because I couldn't see our shadow in the alley. I assumed it was compromised so I moved her the opposite way slowly due to the gang members waiting to draw on us. Asset took point in front with suspects while I moved her back into a safe direction, covering us in both directions. When we were almost clear to a corner the gang banger went for his waist and she shot him in the knee cap at approximately 50 feet with one bullet. Suspect went down to the ground allowing us to make our escape.

Asset was unaware of her shadow and maintained focus until she was placed in shadow's vehicle. Asset followed directions without fighting and knew to find cover before I told her too. In my opinion Jeanne Ellen got to Reid to trap us alone in that alley. It was too dark to see if she had a weapon but she had awareness that the Asset is on this particular case. Reid could have told her that Asset had called him numerous times. Jeanne Ellen could have set this up as retaliation for the Asset damaging her reputation back in Trenton."

"In your opinion was she prepared for a kill shot but took out the knee cap on purpose?"

"Yes. Mentally she knew it was her or them. She was prepared to protect herself although she let her guard down earlier with a witness when she was offered cookies and juice. I had to remove her hand before she ate anything and remind her of possible poisoning. Asset felt witness wasn't a threat due to her age and outlook of her home. I suggest deterring the asset from offered food items as part of her standard operating procedure for her other guards to be aware." I nodded. I would add it tomorrow.

"Who gave you the intel on Grey's location?"

"Silvio." I nodded to Santos to contact him to see how he got that information. I saw him typing on his phone.

I turned back to Miguel "Exact bullet location?" I was curious if Babe hit different spots I had marked with a pen at the gun range for maximum pain but not death or just shot randomly like she did at times.

"Lodged in knee joint, it hit surrounding tissue causing the synovial fluid that cushions the joint to be exposed allowing lead to be dissolved eventually into the blood stream. In general a person with this injury would never have full movement or function again, left untreated amputation." As soon as he told me the location I knew she was aiming and not shooting blind. It was a shot I spent a day doing with her in Greece. I felt the feeling of pride swell in my chest again but it wasn't enough to keep the beast inside of me from wanting to come out and play, interrogating our guest in the holding cell.

Miguel spoke up "Permission to speak freely Sir." I nodded.

"Slick shouldn't have brought the Asset to that part of town, let alone a strip bar. He is too... _close_ to the Asset for full protection." He said _close_ like a dirty word. Like he was accusing my woman of fucking Slick behind my back. I glared at Miguel to elaborate and he swallowed hard.

"I witnessed the Asset and Slick entering a hotel room then leaving an hour later in different clothes, wet from a shower. I've also witnessed Slick sitting close to her in the bar." The air was sucked out of the room. The other men were looking anywhere but at me or Miguel. Miguel looked scared now.

I stood up from my chair, all the men looked at me. "I'm only going to say this once so each of you listen then tell the rest of the building. My woman is not up for discussion with any of you unless it regards her safety or well being. I was fully aware they were in a hotel room because they smelled of pot from talking to a witness and searching a location."

I turned to Miguel and said in a deadly tone "If you had done your job Miguel, you would have noticed she was wearing several masks to protect herself from inhaling harmful chemicals in her condition." Miguel swallowed when the realization dawned on him. I looked at the rest of my men

"I watch Slick more then any one else. I'm harder on him then anyone else. He is her partner not just her guard. If I hear anyone commenting about her in any capacity other then her safety and well being, you will personally meet me on the mats before I decided to keep your ass employed or not. If any of you ever accuse her of disloyalty to me again without actual proof, I will put your in traction." I growled that last part. I was disgusted at this point with the implication of her disloyalty. I didn't trust just anyone in my life, let alone my buildings. The men should respect her as if she was me when they speak of her.

"Miguel mats 0600. Dismissed." Everyone walked briskly out of the room. I looked at Santos and he looked just as angry as me. He should be. Miguel's actions among the gossiping in the building reflected poorly on him as a leader.

"I'll tighten the building up. The men's actions have been inexcusable." We looked at each other and silently agreed we needed mat time together to work out our anger before we interviewed our guest. I knew once the background report was generated someone would bring it to me.

Santos and I removed our weapons in the gym, took off our shirts and shoes then circled each other. Santos was a good fighter. We fought often together when I was in Miami since he was much quicker then Tank but I had a lot more anger bubbling inside me, not just from the meeting but from Jeanne Ellen and the danger Babe was in tonight. We gave each other quick hits. We had a gentleman's agreement of no shots below the belt or in the face. After two hours we both shook hands and cleaned up in the locker room.

"Did Trenton give you any issues about Steph and Slick being partners?"

"No. It was more about jealousy, the men thought Slick was getting a cushy gig and wanted it too. Most of them know her from the last three years, they know her loyalty to me. This building has only heard rumors of her."

Santos laughed "Cushy? Slick has the worse job out of anyone. You watch him like a hawk and if anything happens to her their is no question about his survival. I'm surprised you could find anyone to agree. Slick must be getting a good bonus and really like her as a person."

I saw on my clothes someone left a full report on Carlo Foy, the man who was tailing Babe. I could tell he wasn't her stalker from the picture on his license, he was too heavy. Basic background stated he was a hired hand with a prison record for numerous assaults on women but once worked for the mob as a driver. Lived in the Miami his whole life, has numerous children from different women but doesn't support any of them. He favors a blade but also carries a glock. Carlo had numerous known associates who were in jail or in the mob. He was a private contractor. Any money for any job. I passed the file over to Santos then looked at the printout of his phone records. Most were business, family members or gambling places. Someone marked the burner numbers for me but I focused on the numbers from the last two days. One number called him for a meeting one day then the job the next. I had a feeling this was Jeanne Ellen. I circled it.

I looked at the print out of the pictures from the phone, it was mostly naked women, some of different beaches and a picture of Babe from a newspaper article.

Santos and I redressed in our uniforms to go down to the cells. I dismissed the guard at the door. I fob into the cell then turned off the cameras and saw Carlo handcuffed to a chair with a black eye and a cut lip.

"Do you know who I am?" He nodded with wide eyes.

"Who hired you to follow that woman tonight? And what were you suppose to do with her?"

I removed my knife from my pant leg and cut his gag away for him to speak.

"I don't know. Some woman I never saw her before. We only spoke by phone. She left cash for me at a drop off spot. She hired me to take the woman from a parking lot then deliver her to an alley near by. I was told she would only have one man with her, if I killed him she would be easy to take but it got messed up. Some other gang guys started to mess with her then one guy screamed "cop!" No one told me she was a cop so I pulled around the corner to see if she would run my way. I saw her get into a black SUV so I tried to salvage the deal. I only got half my money...Please don't kill me! I didn't know who she was! All I got was a picture and a location." I pulled out his phone log.

"Is this her number?" He shook his head yes.

Santos had Carlo's phone and spoke to him "I need you to calm down now and make a call to her on speaker phone. Say you have the woman now and will meet at the mall parking lot for the cash in one hour." Carlo just nodded and I dialed.

We heard the call pick up but no one spoke. Santos nodded at Carlo to talk.

"I have the woman for delivery. I can meet you in the mall parking lot in an hour for my cash." I heard some breathing for a minute then Jeanne Ellen's voice.

"Your already dead Carlo." She hung up before I could get a word in. She must have picked up on the hesitation in his voice. Carlo started crying and begging for his life. I nodded to Santos and left the room to go back upstairs to Babe.

I entered the dark penthouse, I didn't hear any movement. I opened the door to the bedroom and saw Babe's hair spread out on her pillow like an angel. She was lightly snoring and the sheet around her fell to her waist exposing her breasts. Just being in her presence, watching her, I found my center again.

I removed my clothes climbing into bed with her. I looked at the clock. I was almost four am. I set my clock for 15 minutes before 6 to meet Miguel on the mats. It wasn't much sleep but I needed my men to see Miguel was being made into an example. He was a good employee and good cleaner but he made a grave mistake in that meeting with me today. I lifted Babe onto my chest to hold her close. She mumbled about being cold. I grabbed the blankets to cover us letting my body warm hers. Their was nothing in this world I wouldn't do for her, nothing I wouldn't give her, no matter the cost. I know Steph feels the exact same way. I've seen that sacrifice time and time again for me without a second thought.

SPOV

I woke up alone in bed, it was almost 11 am! Ugh! Why didn't Ranger set my alarm. I got out of bed and saw he left me a post it note on the shower door.

_Babe, You needed the rest. Come see me in my office after your dressed._

I jumped into the shower then did my hair and makeup with the items in my work bag. I realized I was in the penthouse and didn't have clothes here. I looked in the closet and saw some new clothes hanging up in the closet in my size. That's weird. I looked in the closet the first day here and it was empty. Marisol must have added these just in case. She was almost as good as Ella but no Ella.

I picked a stretchy black v neck t-shirt with a pair of black cargo pants. I tucked my pant legs into my black boots then put on my leather shoulder holster and my black leather jacket from last night. I grabbed my old clothes shoving them in my work bag while I made my way down to Ranger's office.

I noticed the control room was looking at me in a strange way like they were afraid of me? No one looked at me too long then focused intently on their computer screens again. I knocked on Ranger's door. I heard "Enter."

I saw Ranger and Les working at his desk with papers all over the table. I gave him a small smile then plopped into Ranger's guest chair.

"Geeze you pop one guy in the kneecap and everyone looks at you like their next." Les broke out laughing and Ranger smirked.

"Beautiful if you want to shoot any of our employees I ask you check with one of us first." Smart ass. I gave him a small salute with two fingers.

"So what's up? I have a lot of work to catch up on since someone let me sleep so late." My stomach started to growl "And I'm hungry. The babies want tacos, cheese steak and a Cobb salad." I turned to Les "My theory is one baby eats like me and the other like Ranger. Sometimes to punish me for putting some fat into my body I get brutal heart burn or throw up as my punishment." Ranger had his thinking about smile twitching at his lips.

"We were about to order take out. Anything else you want?"

"Ya black olives on everything and a honey mustard for the salad... and all the lemonade in Miami. It's all I can think about right now... No Dessert! Ranger's baby is freaking out today about that, making me feel gross even thinking it." I took Les's water out of his hand and started drinking it. I was so thirsty. I threw the bottle away and Ranger pulled out his desk chair like he wanted me to sit on his lap so I did.

"What's up?" Ranger kissed my lips briefly.

"Jeanne Ellen hired a man last night to kidnap you to bring you to her. Our theory is she paid Reid Grey to lead you to that lot, someone gave Silvio that tip on purpose. We don't know what she wants with you but you need to be on guard and keep your gun loaded. I would also like to add another guard to your protection detail when you go out with Slick. You have two active threats right now. Your stalker and Jeanne. I promised not to add an army to you unless I felt the threat warranted it. I feel this situation does. Do you have an issue with this?" I liked how he was asking and not demanding. I appreciated that.

"I kinda do. I have a gun and I have Slick... but I guess we can try adding another guy for a few days although my stalker isn't coming for me anytime soon. I see your reasoning because of the people I haven't interviewed yet, Jeanne could have gotten to them already to set me up again..."

Ranger had his hand on my stomach so I placed my hand over his. I got it. He was trying to tell me he was concerned about the babies not my abilities. "I don't want anything to happen to the babies so I guess I can agree but the guys here... I don't know... I don't know any of them and they look at me strange especially this morning when I came down. Slick and I have a good flow of ideas going. I'm just nervous to add someone bland into the mix and bring down the dynamic."

"Hawk will be with you today, if it doesn't work someone else tomorrow." I just nodded. I heard a knock on the door so I tried to get out of Ranger's lap but he tightened his arm around me. Les opened the door and grabbed the bags of food then closed it. We started moving papers off Ranger's desk making a little picnic. I pulled my chair next to Ranger's to eat. Les ordered the same stuff as me minus the olives. I gobbled my salad down first then had two bites of my sandwich and two tacos. Les finished the rest of my food for me. I never saw someone eat so much not even Tank. I was impressed. Les agreed the olives did make it better. Ranger just had a bland chicken salad and shook his head at him.

"What's your plan today Babe?"

"I have to read Rachel's background first then check out the other two bodyguards's for Rachel's kids. I need to talk to Winnie's landlord. It took us a long time to find Reid Grey so I'll run a search on his activity then call around some bars but I doubt he'd tell me anything anyway. I may just move on. Rex pissed off a lot of people so no one wants to chat with me..."

I heard my personal cell ring so I looked at it. Grandma Mazur's number.

"Yo."

"Hey baby granddaughter can you come over right now?" She sounded strange.

"Umm not right now what's up, you ok?" I put my phone on speaker.

"I'm good but you got some flowers delivered from an admirer and it's weird. They are stunning though! The delivery boy said they were blue Bachelor Button's but the card says...

_"Because I Could Not Stop for Death, He Kindly Stopped For Me." -Emily Dickinson _

_With All My Love,_

_H.W._


	41. Chapter 41

Tank POV

I dressed up in some slacks and a polo shirt for my meeting with Emmaline Mast the Princeton match maker Steph had given me a gift certificate for Christmas. I didn't have my hopes up too much about this meeting but I felt like I should at least try it once.

I parked my new dodge truck at a large Victorian home with blue shutters. I only saw two cars in the lot. A Lexus and a Mercedes. I put on my jacket to conceal my weapons then walked inside slowly. I almost turned back to my car a few times but I pushed on. Soldiers don't quit. The receptionist lead me into a large office that look like it was once the living room of this home.

Emmaline was an older woman, Grandma Mazur's age with a warm smile instead of fear in her eyes I usually got in a woman's presence. My size although great in my line of work, didn't attract a lot of women to me.

"Hello Tank. Nice to meet you. I saw in your profile it's your preferred name." Emmaline introduced herself and shook my hand. I just nodded. She invited me to sit on a set of couches with her instead of at her desk.

"All right I see your friend Stephanie set this up and your looking for a woman who has her own career and life. She must be confident and not needy or demanding of your time. I see you want companionship with a possible marriage if it was the right person.

You wrote you work in private security and your more the strong silent type which is perfectly fine. You won't be my first to match that was that way. I also see you love cats since you have three... I'm just going to explain to you my philosophy. I look at what you write, how you have answered the questions and match you with women with similar interests based on her profile and questions. It's not a perfect science but that is why I also meet with all of my clients to get a feel for their personality and temperaments."

We spoke briefly for a few minutes then Emmaline went over to her desk and grabbed her binder. She pulled out five photographs of women and let me browse them. They were full body shots with no name. That's when I realized Steph had submitted one of me too that I never saw her take. It wasn't a bad picture of me but it wasn't a favorite either.

"I also let my clients look at pictures before I make a match. I contacted all five of these women with your picture but not your profile. I don't like people reading each other's resumes. I rather you learn from each other to see if you have chemistry. However, sexual attraction comes into play before the conversations flows... Do you find any of these women attractive enough to take to dinner?"

I looked at the first picture. The woman was dressed well in a mixture of designer clothes and Macy's purse that Steph also owns but her complexion was a little off and her teeth rubbed me the wrong way. The next woman was pretty but looked very high maintenance and wore expensive jewelry. She seemed expensive to date. It's not that I didn't have the cash but I didn't want a woman with me just for my money.

The next woman I was immediately attracted too. She was African American, tall about 5'9, beautiful skin and hair but didn't over do her makeup. She carried herself well in the picture and wore clothes similar to how Steph would dress lately. She seemed confident about her appearance but had this sparkle in her brown eyes. The rest of the women were beautiful but either too skinny, too flat chested or looked stuck up in their pictures.

I handed Emmaline the photo and she smiled. "Eve Castleberry a veterinarian. I think this will be a wonderful match. Like you she works odd hours at times and has several members of her family with a military background. She has a cat as well and takes in stray dogs sometimes when they are ill until she can find them suitable homes.

Here is her number, I will call her after you leave to let her know to expect your call. If the date doesn't work out, I don't want you to be frustrated. Many of my clients go on several dates until they find a solid match. I have new clients join everyday as well. You never know what is out there until you try is what I always say.

Now I don't like to get involved with your style but women enjoy dinner, dancing or movie. I frown upon intercourse on the first date and frown upon it until you are in a relationship but you are both adults and I can't stop you. However, if I hear your using my services just for one night stands I will revoke your profile and not refund your friend's money. She will only get her money back if you try for a minimum of three months to find a match. If it doesn't work and you decide to give up the search then I happily return her fee but I only had one person do that last year."

I just nodded at her. We said our goodbyes and I walked to my car. I tried not to be too excited about my date but I couldn't get Eve's face out of my head. She already knew what I looked like and wanted to see me. Emmaline said she didn't hand out profiles but I could easily get a background check on Eve. Emmaline already told me her name and occupation which is more then enough. I drove to Rangeman with a small smile playing on my lips.

I heard my phone buzz with a text. Santos. I saw a picture of Miguel beaten bloody looking pretty bad.

_Fool spoke poorly of Steph now everyone is running scared. Wanted you to have a heads up before news hits Trenton._

SPOV

"Ok Grandma I'm going to call my friend Royce to come over and collect it just put the card down with the flowers and try not to touch it. What flower shop sent it?"

"_The Little Flower Shop that Could_ on Prince Street."

"Ok Grandma I'm calling him now. Anything else new? How's Christian?" Grandma made a sound like she was swooning.

"That man is amazing. I've never been treated so much like a princess in my life. The heat in his eyes for me, the little touches and he cooks too. I've never had a man cook for me... They don't make men like him in the Burg, I should have dated someone from Newark sooner." I looked at Ranger who gave me a smirk. He was from Newark like Christian.

"Ya grandma I know what you mean. More like a partner and lover then a slave."

"Yes! I've never felt this way before. You have to come over with Slick and join us for dinner again, bring that baby daddy of yours with the great package. Our dinner party was so much fun last time." Ranger's blank face slammed into place. I giggled.

"I'll let you know. I have a lot going on right now." We spoke for a few more minutes then I hung up.

I messaged Royce asking him Rex's outcome and to let him know the killer sent me flowers to Grandma's apartment. I asked him nicely to collect the evidence then investigate the flower shop for me.

_Will do Dollface. Going over now. Rex is on suspension. I'm the new Sheriff in town. Call you later for an update._

Ranger was pulling Grandma's camera feed from outside of her apartment door while Les was playing on his phone.

I looked at Ranger's computer and saw a young kid with pimples that barely looked eighteen. His shirt said the name of the flower shop. I saw the kid deliver the flowers to Grandma and speak to her then leave.

Les spoke up "Bachelor Button's mean anticipation. Bachelor's commonly wore this flower when they were trying to date someone. The longer the flower lasted the more true the love. If the flower faded quickly it wasn't meant to be. The flower is editable, some people use it on food or as a garnish. It is also in some teas like Lady Grey. These flowers usually bloom June and August, so they must be a special order."

"It's only been a few days since that article Slick and I submitted to the newspaper. The article wasn't picked up so far out of the area or Slick would have told me. My stalker must still be in New Jersey."

Ranger spoke up "Not necessarily. Santos heard about the article because he has a Google alert on you. Your stalker could have one too or monitor the Trenton Gazette's website since they posts articles the day after online." Damn. Ranger was right. I groaned in my chair.

"He doesn't know I've moved. Grandma has a big gold plaque on her door made by Dillon stating that fact. My guess is he hasn't been back to the apartment since he stole my .38 special. What about the poem?"

Les just shrugged his shoulder's but Ranger spoke up. Of course he knew it. In the past he has quoted Carl Sandburg to me as well. "The first line about not stopping for death means no choice when you will die, the line refer's to Death as a gentleman suitor coming to collect her while the second line his her acceptance it will happen."

Les looked just as surprised as me that Ranger knew so much about poetry. Ranger glared at Les daring him to say something about it but Les was wise enough to keep his lips shut. I on the other hand had a big smile. I was wildly turned on. I wasn't sure if it was Ranger's knowledge, his sexy good looks and smell or my hormones but I wanted him right now.

"You don't seem concerned this guy is gunning for you beautiful?"

I shrugged my shoulder's. "This isn't the scariest note I have received in my lifetime and he sent decent flowers instead of dead ones, body parts or fluids... I'm looking towards the bright side on this one. I'll be worried if two women are found dead by him. In my book I still have mostly a year before I should be scared.

Right now I think he's pissed at me for ignoring him so he sent me a note to redirect my focus onto him. If I continue to ignore him he may direct his energy on me, instead of the next woman." I was still checking out Ranger. He noticed my eyes roaming up and down his body. Ranger looked impassively as Les.

"Let's take a break. We need to speak alone." Les just nodded and went out the door. Ranger locked it behind him and pulled me out of my chair.

"Playing with fire Babe." I moved for his lips and deeply kissed him. He started unbuckling my pants and lifting me onto his cleared desk from lunch. I removed my shirt and tried to go for his zipper but I couldn't reach. Ranger was removing one of my boots then releasing one of my legs from my pants then the other.

"I like seeing my name on your panties." Ranger grabbed my head with one hand and brought me back to his mouth. I heard him release his belt and drop his pants. He was using his fingers inside me but I wanted him. I grabbed his length in my hands and started working it up and down trying to line him up inside of me. He licked his fingers clean then grabbed my hips and inched me closer to the end of his desk plunging himself inside of me.

After our afternoon delight Ranger and I cleaned up in his bathroom together. My hair looked a little crazy so I put it into a pony tail and fixed my makeup. I looked at him in the mirror as he was washing his hands.

"Is their any particular reason you don't want us to go to the Miami party at your Aunt's house tomorrow?"

"Several. The most pressing is my mother. If she hears from her sister she met you before her, my mother would take it poorly as if I did it on purpose then call me nonstop... My mother hasn't liked many of my decisions in life but she specifically asked me after my divorce from Rachel that if I ever met someone special she wanted to meet her first next time.

Your someone special. I'm planning for you to meet my parents in the next month but we have been busy with work and Rachel and I can't add to my plate right now." I felt relieved he wasn't ashamed of me. I guess it must have shown on my face because Ranger turned my body to him and lifted my chin with his finger. He kissed me deeply washing away all my insecurities.

We heard someone knocking at his office door. He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine in frustration. "Be safe today and watch your surroundings." I gave him one last peck and told him always.

I answered the door to Silvio and Les. Les had a big smile on his face like he knew what we had done in here. It didn't help that he winked at me as I passed him. I just wanted to hide, my face was so red.

I heard my private cell ping with a text from Royce.

_Flowers were a special order with a credit card that was stolen from someone in Philadelphia. Computer guys ran the IP address it was also in Philly from a stolen laptop on some free Wifi at a public cafe. We are checking camera's in the area. PA could be his next hunting location for the woman. Order was placed with the flower shop yesterday. This particular florist has a greenhouse for all year round flowers that her husband runs since he is a college professor. Anything special in this greenhouse is listed as special's on her site. Everything is pricey but she offers unusual flowers._

I responded to him.

_ Does she sell Doll Eye's? Violet ingested them remember?_ I waited for a few minutes for a response but didn't get one.

I went to the break room and grabbed some snacks and drink's to put in my bag. When I entered two Rangeman employees left the room quickly. What is wrong with these men?

I made my way to our temporary war room. I messaged Slick to leave in 15 minutes and to meet in the garage wearing street clothes. I wanted to pick up Rachel's background first, print it out and read in the car.

I unlocked my computer and started printing everything. Background check, medical records, bank records, school information, known associates, newspaper articles among other things. I started hole punching my papers in order and placing it into a small binder I found on the supply table Marisol had stocked with everything you could imagine. I grabbed a little bit of everything for my bag, post it notes, highlighters, some extra pens, tape and a mini stapler.

I planned to follow Scully today with Rachel's daughter April. Ranger seemed pleased with my report on Mace so I would grade Scully in a similar fashion. I asked Ranger earlier how to make sure Hawk doesn't warn him Scully first or talk about it with other employees and he assured me he warned Hawk I was doing a quality control review. Hawk and Slick both know not to repeat or interfere with my assessment.

I re-locked my laptop and made my way down to the garage. I saw Slick standing next to a large man that was about 6'1 with more muscles then any man I had ever seen. In my opinion too many... At least he was in street clothes. I remember reading about Hawk's background, he was a criminal in his younger days then joined the Army. Hawk was also a loner that was only a good partner for a few of the men on patrol but had a good head on his shoulders and could think on his feet.

I introduced myself and he just nodded then got into the backseat. Oh boy. Slick just smiled at me.

"Where to gumshoe?"

"Quality control on Scully." I pulled up his gps location on my work computer and saw he was just getting to April's school. Slick drove so I put on an oldies station to read my report on Rachel Maritime maiden name Atwood.

Her parents are Gwen and Micheal Atwood. Mother was a stay at home mom and father was a businessman now retired. Her mother was Puerto Rican while her father was a mixture of Eastern European. Rachel grew up in the Miami area her whole life and was a year younger then Ranger. Her father had some money from his family's inheritance so Rachel grew in an upper middle class neighborhood but her parents lived modestly.

Rachel was an only child, her teachers noted she was quiet in school with good grades. She was in the Spanish club, a cheerleader and on the year book staff in high school. She had a few boyfriends in school one of them, Ron Maritime then she went to college for one year to the University of Miami as an education major.

Rachel had a few part time jobs in the summer working at the mall or different department stores. Decent grades in college then dropped out her second year. She was healthy according to her medical records and not on the pill until after Julie was born. No medications prescribed other then vitamins and her pregnancy went smoothly. No Std's in her history or major illnesses.

I checked Rachel's bank records over the years and the places she lived. She lived with her parents all through out school and college including when Julie was born. Once Rachel dropped out of college she had no employment listed and didn't leave her parents home until she started dating Ron again who came back into town after graduating college.

After they were married, months later Ron took over his father's plumbing business and made it successful. I didn't see a reason Rachel couldn't have continued with college or got herself a job. Her mother could have baby sat while Rachel went to classes or she could have used the child support Ranger was sending to pay a baby sitter.

Her parent's were already helping her pay for college in the first place, it didn't make sense to me. Several months into Rachel's pregnancy I saw Rachel's doctor did a prenatal paternity test then a few weeks later she married Ranger. At least Ranger was smart enough to check first the kid was his before marriage.

Some men I knew back in the Burg didn't then ended up surprised in the hospital room and married to their girlfriends. I saw Rachel was given insurance and benefits from the Army as well as a portion of Ranger's check. It wasn't much but Rachel's parents were helping her too and she didn't have any debt or major bills.

I saw as soon as Julie was born two months later Ranger filed for divorce, irreconcilable differences, neither party contested then Ranger agreed to child support arrangements with the court. Months later Rachel married Ron then adopted Julie. My heart hurt for Ranger. Regardless of his feelings for Rachel it must have been a difficult situation at the time. Once Ron adopted Julie the court order for child support was rescinded but Ranger continued to send the same amount of money every month like clock work.

Eventually Rachel had two more children with Ron, they seemed like a happy family. Her financials showed Ron was the bread winner and she used both accounts responsibly for a long time. I didn't have to look at the financials from the last year since Ranger already told me in detail about the spending so I moved onto the newspaper articles.

I saw her baby announcements for each child and her wedding announcement to Ron. I saw the newspaper clippings about Julie being kidnapped then her return. Rachel didn't comment in any articles but Ron asked the papers for privacy after Julie's return. Rachel reminded me of Valerie, cooking, cleaning, sewing, book clubs, baking, entertaining friends and neighbors. I looked at her license photos over the years and I could see what attracted Ranger to her in the first place.

She was innocent looking but pretty, skinny with a big chest. Over the years though she became more demure in her looks and never really kicked the baby weight after each pregnancy. I couldn't find a wedding picture of her and Ranger but the one of her and Ron looked very happy. They had a fancy wedding with all the trimmings and a large puffy gown. I saw Rachel started going to therapy days after Julie's return but the doctor didn't post any notes that I had access too. He probably hand writes them then stores them in his office... I really want to see them but at the same time I wouldn't want anyone to know what I had said in confidence either. I turned to Slick.

"Hypothetically, what are your feelings about breaking into a therapist's office to copy someone's file? I know it's legally and morally wrong but what are your thoughts if someone wanted to use it for good and not bad?"

"It's a sticky situation. Knowledge is power. People tell therapist's their darkest secrets, in the wrong hands it could hurt them mentally, physically and financially. But in the right hands I guess it could fill in a lot of blanks as long as you didn't tell the person or anyone else their secrets then I don't see a problem with it. If it's used for good then it's morally grey in my opinion."

I liked Slick's reasoning because I really wanted that file but Ranger may not feel the same way. Things have been going really great with us and I don't want to cross a line with him even if this would help him in the end. I started biting my lip.

"Hawk same question?"

"I'd take it without a second thought. If you don't want someone to know something then you don't tell anyone in the first place." Another good point but people think by trusting a therapist no one would ever know... I'm still debating how Ranger would feel. He usually lives by legally grey but morally right code. If this was a random person I don't think he would care but this is his ex wife and mother of his child. He may care. I wish we were alone right now to talk openly. I torn off a piece of paper and started writing.

_Hypothetically if it was Rachel's file we stole for a good reason?_ I discretely dropped it onto Slick's lap as I went for my bottle of water between us. His eyes grew large.

"Scully is waiting in that SUV and King is parked next to him." We sat in the car waiting for school to let out. When the kid's started to exit the school for pickup I saw the guards exit there vehicles to take their post. I saw Ron pull up in his truck and wave at the guards then talk to the kid's energetically. He made sure their seat belts were on then waited for the SUV's to get in place with them before exiting the school grounds. Ron made his way to the park to drop of his son at some kind of after school activity. King immediately joined Ron's son before Ron pulled away.

Ron dropped off April at some kind of indoor swim club then Scully joined her inside. Slick parked our car.

I grabbed my work bag and made my way inside. To the right was a store with bathing suits and towels, sandals, food, newspapers, books. And to the left three large pools with a few bleachers. There weren't many parents watching and I noticed Scully near the end of the one pool. I saw on the board the daily fee's and membership costs.

"How do you boys feel about taking a dip? We can't stand here much longer watching this far away, people are starting to stare at us here. We're blowing our cover and the shop behind us has suits and supplies." Both Slick and Hawk seemed uncomfortable.

"We shouldn't be separated from our weapons" Slick said. I sighed.

"Hawk can sit on the bleachers and pretend he is guarding me or he is here off duty to cover us. It would be good exercise anyway for me, I've been meaning to do this for a while now. Come on we will have fun." I went to the store to look for a suit for me. I took a few to try on. I usually wore a bikini but I had a bump and felt I should cover it up, except the one pieces were uncomfortable. I saw another woman who was a lot more pregnant then me in a bikini walking into the swimming area so I decided to purchase a modest white bikini too.

Slick didn't even try his suit on, he just grabbed a pair of trunks, some towels and sandals with two swim caps and some goggles. Slick also got me a tube and a noodle. I went to pay and he stopped me.

"This is an assignment for Rangeman. Ranger told me when you have a Rangeman assignment you have to pay with a Rangeman credit card that he gave you instead of your own funds, otherwise he would directly reimburse you." I rolled my eyes. I dug through my wallet to look for the black Amex and found it. I paid for all of our stuff but felt bad. Slick picked up on it.

"It's an expense. We all have them, it's not a big deal. This isn't even the most I've had to charge, trust me." Slick took the receipt from me to add into his expense report at the end of the day to submit to Les. We both changed into our bathing suits and locked our stuff inside the public lockers on the wall. Hawk was the only one now armed. We both struggled to get into our swimming caps until Hawk showed us how.

Slick and I looked at each other and broke into laughter. We looked ridiculous in our swimming outfits that consisted of our suits, sandals, swimming caps and goggles. I was inside my tube walking around in it while Slick had a noodle around his neck, carrying our towels. I asked Hawk to blend in and not to make eye contact with Scully. Hawk took up a position near some parents by the door.

Slick put our towels and sandals onto a chair then jumped into the deep end of the middle pool. I gracefully sat down and then entered gingerly. The pool was heated but I eased myself in anyway. I was feeling self conscious about my body.

"What's wrong? You can swim right? Your holding that tube in a death grip."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I'm fine. It's just I'm not use to my new body and my stomach is protruding out. I couldn't find a one piece that fit right. I'm fine... What about my note what do you think?"

"I don't know what to think because I don't know the exact situation. All I know is Ranger gave you an assignment to check out the kid's bodyguards which isn't unusual. He does random quality checks often to keep us on our toes. I know you took notice of Rachel one day but I don't know the extent of your assignment from him, it's none my business to know but I noticed you reading her background check in the car. Is this part of the assignment or your own curiosity?" I thought about it.

"Both." He smiled and shook his head a little.

"Ok... What were his restrictions or instructions without telling me the assignment directly."

"He said I could investigate and he trusted me. He was aware of the background check and didn't care."

Slick thought about it. "And my guess is you don't know how he will react about the therapist's file... I don't know myself. He isn't a guy that's easy to read. If it was anyone normal he wouldn't care but it being someone he was once married too it's a grey area.

I can't give you my opinion here or tell you what to do...but in my hypothetical world I'd take the file and read it. If he found out about it I would just mention he gave you permission to investigate but not the restrictions of that investigation. But you didn't get any of that from me at all. As long as you use that information to help and not hurt her, I think it would be ok but you don't seem like your the kinda person that would do something intentional to hurt someone."

"We can't do it with Hawk watching us. He would tell Ranger immediately and I am sure you have to report things too. Outside of our hypothetical conversation right now." Slick smiled.

"Hypothetically we can't do anything without Ranger's knowledge but if you knew a thief and were willing to fly him out here, pay a small fee for his time he would do it without anyone's knowledge. Walker is very discreet. Or we can do it ourselves which is easier and not tell Hawk or myself the file your after leading us to assume it's about your case." I gave Slick a big smile.

"I like your second idea. Let's do recon after this. So far Scully has been good but he has a bit of a wandering eye with the ladies and he doesn't seem do be enjoying this assignment at all."

"His skills are being wasted... It's not as bad as monitor duty but patrol would be better for him. He is probably doing it because permanent guards are paid at a higher hourly rate with a chance of hazard pay. After a while, I noticed the kids getting out of the pool and saw Ron come into the area so I swam to the middle and went under water a few times so he didn't notice me. It was almost dinner time so Slick and I got out of the pool. I noticed Hawk discretely adjust himself in his pants when he looked at me. Slick did too then glared at him. He stepped in front of my body and handed me a towel to cover up.

We cleaned up and redressed. I could feel the tension between Slick and Hawk now. I had all I needed on April's guard from watching him interact with April as well as his interactions with people around him. He consistently maintained a visual of his surroundings and checked everyone for weapons. When I got back to my car I wrote my notes on my legal pad. I pulled out the therapist's number then called asking for the hours of operation. The last appointment was usually 7 pm unless it was an emergency. Slick heard my conversation. We silently agreed to strike later tonight for that file when it was dark.

Tank POV

Ranger and Santos had a conference call with me after my meeting with Emmaline. Ranger let me know Steph's granny received flowers from her stalker. I alerted the control room to keep an eye on her apartment and increase patrols in that area.

I worked on my paper work all day but couldn't focus. I kept drifting to Eva's phone number near my computer. I debated whether or not to call. I felt confident this morning but now I didn't. I ran her background check, her father and brother were in the army as well as a few uncles. Eva was well educated and seemed like an honest and sweet woman with a big heart for animals.

She didn't date many men but I assumed that was more about her schedule then her looks. I didn't know why I was so nervous. I've been through fire fights, war, tortured in Columbia with Ranger for three days and yet it was no where near this feeling inside of me. Ranger picked up on my unease during our call but didn't question me about it.

If Stephanie was here in Trenton, I may have asked her, her opinion on Eva on whether I should call her or not. And if I did where would I take her? Lula was easy, she came from the streets. Cluck in the Bucket, McDonald's maybe Shorty's. I didn't see Eva liking any of those places and I didn't want to take here there anyway. Her credit card history showed she shopped at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, ate at sushi places and Italian restaurants. I haven't gone out on a date, date in a long time. In high school it was fast food and the movies. In the Army, bars and a hotel. I never really dated a woman in the sense of wooing her and was way out of my element.

I took out my phone and sent a text to Steph to call me when she could talk alone. She did five minutes later.

"Are you busy?"

"No just shoving taco's in my mouth with Hawk and Slick. When I saw your text I went to the bathroom alone. What's up?"

"You can't tell anyone not even Ranger." She promised she wouldn't.

"I met Emmaline and she found me a woman... I might see her but I don't know what to do. Do I call her even though I just got her number this morning... if I do what do I say? Do I just ask her out and if I do when or where?"

"Whoa that's a lot of questions...Umm yes call her, go out with her when your both available and look at her background check. I know you ran one, I bet your just as bad as Ranger with them. Pick a nice restaurant she likes and agree to meet her there. Don't offer to pick her up because women feel safer in there own cars on first dates."

"She like's Rosa's near her home. Is that a good place?"

"Ya I've never been but I heard it's a good date place. Pricey for me so I don't know first hand. Here is my advice, just take a deep breath and plunge right into it. Your a bad ass but it's ok to be nervous."

"Where does Ranger usually take you out to dinner just in case she doesn't want to go there?" Steph started laughing.

"Umm places I would never take a woman I care about...once to Marsilio's but it's a big place to be seen in Trenton. I think you want privacy, so my backup would be The Yardley Inn. I've never been but Mary Lou said it was her new favorite place for her anniversary... I don't think I have to say this but I've been on some really shitty dates in the past so just in case... if you invite a lady to dinner you pay like gentleman. Don't make her split the check with you ok." What? Of course I would pay. Who was she dating that didn't do that?

"Of course."

"Were you talking about Shorty's before?" She started giggling.

"Ya and a place once in Newark that made Shorty's look like a sissy joint... Blood on tables is not sexy to a woman." I felt better knowing Ranger was as dating challenged as me now.

"Anything else? Hawk is asking me if I fell into the toilet now?" I heard her hell at him in her Jersey accent.

"No." I hung up.

I took a few deep breaths then started to dial Eva's number. When I heard her say "hello" her voice was like velvet causing my heart to constrict.


	42. Chapter 42

SPOV

After I hung up with Tank I did have to pee which made Hawk just knock again a few minutes later. I washed my hands then stepped out. I glared at him annoyed.

"Do you like to be rushed in the bathroom?" He just shook his head no. "Neither do I."

I sat back down with Slick and groaned with my hands over my face. "I have so much on my plate right now. I feel like I will be drowning soon. My energy levels very every few days from high to very low and at this moment it's very low.

I checked my messages in the bathroom and they range from people asking me to find a lost animal, to researching a ghost in someone's home and one woman wants to find out if her husband is cheating on her. I drafted a nice message to telling the nutty ones I'm unable to take their case at this time and the woman with the husband issues I've schedule a meeting with when I get back to Jersey. I need to run a background check on her then him which I can do tomorrow before I accept her case." Slick just nodded. We were finishing up so Hawk when to check the car over for us.

"I'm starting to feel like a really shitty person for wanting that file. My stomach is in knots but at the same time the curiosity is killing me. If this was me I wouldn't want anyone to read it regardless of the situation. On the other hand women can be difficult. I am one so I know...

I just don't want Ranger going in the wind stressed or conflicted over this situation that his mind isn't focused to make it home to us." I touched my stomach and breathed out deeply a few times.

"One year a ago I would never consider doing something like this, it crosses a personal line with me but a year ago I was a much different person. I thought I was..." I stopped myself from revealing I'm not really a Plum. That's what changed for me. It wasn't Ranger's influence completely or his willingness to help improve my skills, it was the knowledge that I wasn't suppose to be a Plum. I wasn't suppose to grow up in the Burg, I wasn't suppose to be a house wife and the mother to five kids.

Knowing that made it easier for me to distance myself from that life and my mother. Even distance myself from Connie and Lula, who I wasn't 100% sure were my good friends at this point anymore. The only messages I received from them lately were complaints I wasn't hanging around the office with them or gossiping about my life with Ranger. When I explained I had this new case tracking down a killer, Lula gave me a lot of attitude that I didn't involve her. That I was now too good to partner with her. In some ways it was true and in others not.

Yes when I needed backup in the past and it was a low bond, Lula was usually my partner. She was cheap to pay, lunch or some cash and she was ok most of the time as a partner as long as she didn't drive off first or shoot someone for calling her fat. But people didn't feel comfortable talking with Lula around because of how she looked and her major attitude. If she was my partner right now I don't think I would have anything accomplished. Slick is none of those things. He is armed, dangerous thinks like me but also differently.

"I thought I was this good catholic Burg girl my whole life then one day I realized I had more potential with Ranger's help. I don't want to disappoint him or lose him."

"Who do you talk to when you have a dilemma like this?"

"Mary Lou or Ranger sometimes Grandma Mazur."

"And what would Mary Lou tell you?"

"She'd tell me not to do it and meet with the source for the information... and normally I would but I don't want Ranger uninvited to Julie's party next week because of me."

Slick just shook his head and said "Women."

"Call Rachel to set up a meeting for some coffee tonight. Feel her out. If you think you need the file afterwards then we get it, if you feel she is honest with you then you don't... Say it's to introduce yourself better so at the party you don't make Julie's day awkward. I noticed a cafe last night down the street that I can secure easy. Hawk and I can give you privacy but be near by." I agreed. I pulled out my binder and scrolled to her number.

"Hello Maritime residence." I rolled my eyes. Valerie said that too.

"Hi Rachel it's Stephanie Plum. I'm in town early working on a case and I was just hoping you had time tonight to meet for some coffee or dessert at the _Cupcake Cafe_ on Turner Street to get to know each other before the party next week?" She was silent for a minute.

"I don't see a reason too. Your Ranger's friend. We can just meet at the party since Julie invited you too. I'm very busy with the plans right now and don't have the time. It's New Year's Eve tomorrow, I just have too much going on." Did she just call me Ranger's friend? And she said it all in a very sweet condescending tone.

"As Ranger's _girlfriend_ I thought it would be nice to get to know each other before hand to avoid the awkwardness since Ranger visit's Julie several times a year. You and I are going to be seeing each other occasionally... I can meet next week or any day you have a free 30 minutes. I can ever come to you."

"Listen Stephanie. I appreciate what you did for my daughter, I couldn't thank you enough, Julie told me how kind you were but I don't see a need for us to be friends. Yes your pregnant by Ranger but that doesn't mean we need to have a relationship. I don't just let anyone into my children's lives anymore. Julie invited you to her party not myself or my husband... I don't mean to sound rude or mean, let alone burst your bubble but you may not even be around after you deliver and I don't want Julie becoming attached to you. I've known Ranger a long time and was married to him once..."

"So just because we aren't married I'm not welcome to have even an acquaintance with you or Julie?"

"I prefer it that way but even if you were married it may not last past a year. Mine didn't. Ranger's a proud man who likes to do the right thing when he gets a woman he sleeps with pregnant..."

"I assure you it's not the same situation at all..." I heard Rachel sigh then cut me off. "Listen Stephanie I have to go. I have three kids that need my attention. Have a good trip in Miami."

I was pissed now. She was acting like I was a one night stand that Ranger was going to dump in a few months. I was hurt. But at the same time I was worried she may be right that one day Ranger would come home and realize he wasn't ready to be a dad and leave. I'd have my money and my home but my heart would never survive that break. Even if I did marry Ranger it wasn't a guarantee our relationship would last. I felt lost.

Slick heard most of my conversation and looked uncomfortable, unsure of what to say to me. I was vibrating with rage but had tears building behind my eyes. This was one of the reasons I never truly thought of having a relationship with Ranger in the past. It wasn't just his life didn't lend itself to relationships crap, it was knowing if I let him in completely he had the ability to break my heart unlike any other man before him.

It's why I hid behind excuses like my practical Burg upbringing and strong survival instincts keeping Ranger at arms length. I probably stayed with Morelli longer then I should have because I was afraid of becoming addicted to Ranger, he may eventually drop me then disappear when he had his fill. This is his first relationship in a long time. I see Ranger now so sweet and loving with me and my stomach but that changes when you have two crying and screaming babies at home. Ranger enjoys the hunt, he chased me like a gazelle for years but now that he has caught me, will he find another Gazelle on the horizon?

I was sitting in the car with Slick and Hawk "Where to Steph?"

I didn't know where to go. I didn't want to go back to Rangeman and it was too early to steal the file if I decided too do it tonight. I wasn't in the state of mind to work on my stalker and the thought of eating another bite made me sick.

"The mall please." Slick put on some soft music as I stared out the window during the drive. I let a tear fall down my check but wiped it away. I hated Rachel's words and how she delivered them. I hated how she rubbed in she was one married to him and knows him better then me. I don't even know if that's true because Ranger isn't a chatter box.

I needed to be alone with my thoughts but I couldn't escape my guards, if I did especially with my two threats, Ranger would never forgive me and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to my babies. I turned to Slick.

"I'm going to need some breathing room at the mall." He just nodded.

My guards were tailing me five steps behind but I was pretending they didn't exist at all.

Tank POV

My conversation with Eve could have gone better. I was nervous at times, I guess too quiet but she did most of the talking and agreed The Yardley Inn would be a great spot for dinner tomorrow night. I forget it was New Year's Eve so I had to pay off a hostess to get me a private table and a reservation then I had to pay one of my men extra to cover my monitor shift.

I mentioned to Eve that I was on call for emergencies and she understood because she was too. We had a small conversation about herself and I felt my heart flutter. She told me about how the men in her family got certain nicknames too then had to leave to see her next patient. I really needed a drink to calm my nerves but since I was on duty I went down to the gym to run and punch a bag.

I started making a plan in my head. I need to wear something nice I guess and not my uniform. Should I buy something for her when I meet her at the restaurant? Flowers? I don't want to come on too strong. I started cleaning up in the locker room then went back to my computer. I started researching "how to date" and clicked different links.

Have manners, turn off your phone, don't talk about past relationships yours or ask about hers. Be honest but not too honest and don't check out other people on your date. Be a good listener, that I can do. Don't expect sex on the first three dates and let the woman lead with the first kiss on the first date if you are unsure how well it is going. Telling a woman you will call after a date can mean two things you may call or your blowing her off. If you feel an interest in your date tell the woman you would like to see her again and will call her tomorrow. Depending on her response you know her interest back... This seems complicated...

I started taking notes wondering if I could just bug the table and have a comm unit in my ear that had Steph listening in and could help me without anyone knowing. I really liked this woman even though I barley know her. I just got this feeling from her voice.

Eve was intelligent and witty...I thought about cancelling the whole thing but Steph sent me a text during my conversation with Eve that said _Army Ranger's never quit. _

I started researching more online and came across some books. I wrote down a few names and made my way to Barnes and Noble outside of town. I couldn't help but wonder if Ranger had to do this with Steph?

Probably not. The times I watched them interact it was like animal magnetism between those two. Ranger would say "Babe" and then kiss her in the alley next to the bonds office. They just worked although he had his head up his ass most of the time.

After a visit with Steph, Ranger would get back into the car and not talk about it or look any different but I knew he was affected and not just by his pants. He never left town without seeing her first and gave her keys to Rangeman. I never saw Ranger help someone for nothing and he never spent time with a woman as much as he did with her. I tried doing that with Lula and although sexually satisfying, Lula was too street hard and crazy. I could never let Lula fully into my life, let alone the Rangeman building.

SPOV

After trying on different shoes I picked out a new pair of wedge heels since my normal heels were starting to be too much for me to walk in. I sat in the food court area with a large lemonade and a two mini red velvet cupcakes. I found a maternity store but everything seemed really plan and ugly. I looked through the baby items though and found some adorable outfits and supplies. In the clearance section I found left over candy corn hats from Halloween. I grabbed two.

I also picked up a shirt for me in different sizes that said "_I'm pregnant not furry. Do NOT pet me_." And my new favorite item a fun bright colored tee-pee for a toddler's room that I imagined the babies sleeping under when they got older. Hawk took it from me to carry which was nice. I nodded a thank you.

I looked at things for the nursery and saw a framed poster that said "_Always be yourself unless you can be BATMAN then always be BATMAN"_ with the bat symbol in the middle. It made me laugh so hard that I couldn't leave without it. I sent a picture text to Ranger. I also found a baby jumper that said "_That's the Uncle they Warned you About_" with an arrow pointing out. Lester would get a kick out of that since he warned me about his family.

I heard my work phone ringing and saw it was a Miami area code. I placed my basket down to answer. It was Winnie's landlord finally calling me back. He apologized, he thought I was a cop at first then realized I wasn't. I just rolled my eyes. Unfortunately he didn't know anything other then Winnie was a writer who kept to herself. She was writing a book at one time and liked to spend hours at the bakery down the street most days.

I asked if he had any of her items and he said no. Reid her ex had came when she was missing and cleaned out all of her valuables. Once she died no one claimed the rest so it all went to the Salvation Army so he could rent the unit. Before we hung up I messaged him a picture of my stalker but he didn't recognize him.

My next stop would be the bakery once I checked out. I was still feeling upset and unsure if I should go to Julie's birthday party, I didn't want to ruin her day or make anyone uncomfortable. I tried putting myself in Rachel's position. I could see how Rachel wouldn't be thrilled her ex husband's pregnant girlfriend was coming to a family event but I felt like if it was me I'd at least meet her for a chat before I blew her off. Yes it would kill me to see Ranger with another woman having a baby, yes I'd cry my eyes out for days but Rachel wasn't in a real relationship with Ranger in the first place. And Rachel married Ron a long time ago, she moved on.

It would be a different situation for me. If Ranger and I broke up and he came to my home years later with a new pregnant girlfriend to our children's birthday party depending on the reason for the split I'd be really hurt especially if he moved on quickly and I hadn't. I couldn't imagine my life going back to pre-Ranger but in that situation I'd at least meet the woman at the party or before hand to make it less awkward.

I really didn't get Rachel's deal, I had a feeling she wouldn't confide in me about it either. And if Rachel was hiding her issues from Ron, angry with Ranger then I didn't see our meeting after Julie's party going well at all. She probably won't even talk about her issues if I am in the room, I know I wouldn't in her situation... It wasn't ethical or right but I needed that file. I needed to know her issues so I could help Ranger just in case she makes me leave that meeting.

I paid for my items then started walking towards the exit.

I was walking past a store and saw in the window an elegant framed portrait of_ Vigo the Carpathian_ from the second _Ghostbusters movie _framed. I almost dropped all of my bags as I stopped short. That would be hysterical to hang in a nursery since the Museum curator needed Dana to bring her baby, Oscar to the museum of art in the movie.

Even if I didn't put this painting in the nursery it could go into the screening room in the basement for me. I made a quick turn to purchase the painting. Slick and Hawk were looking at me like a weirdo but I just had to have it. I looked at other paintings but didn't see anything that intrigued me. The artist was the owner and gave me his card to make anything I wanted in the future. I'd have to keep that thought on the back burner. I had a little happiness back but it wasn't much. I looked at Slick.

"We need to hit the bakery that Winnie liked then I need that file I've decided." Slick just nodded. Thirty minutes later we came up to the shop. It seemed magical, I needed some pie now. Tomorrow I had to work out to kept my weight healthy since I have been eating so much lately. I pulled out my picture of the stalker and of Winnie to show the employees.

I waited in line for my turn and then ordered six pies. Slick and Hawk would each get one so I asked their favorite flavor, I need one tonight to eat, one for Les and one for New Year's Eve tomorrow. The last would be a back up for a bad day this week.

I asked the employees about Winnie and they mentioned she came in often and loved donuts, pie and sometimes just typed all day on her computer but didn't know much about her other then she had a cat. When I showed them a picture of my suspect no one recognized him. I asked if she mentioned an admirer or someone watching her, they said she only mentioned an ex husband and her cat. I thanked them and rushed back to the car to eat my pie. The girl had plastic forks so I grabbed a handful for us to each eat in the car. Hawk was hesitant until both Slick and I dug in.

"What are you thinking?" Slick asked me.

"I think it's been a long time since Winnie's death and people don't remember a lot, her ex husband would be good for information but also more likely to lie or sell us out. If we find him great but I'm not going to kill myself over it. I just want a few more bites of my pie then I need to get a file from this address."

I wrote it down on a piece of paper so Hawk didn't know where we were going. Both of them ate their whole pie fast while I still had 75% of mine left to finish for later.

It was close to 9 pm when we arrived at the office building. Slick told Hawk to monitor the car because it would be a quick trip. I discretely placed the scanner into my jacket then grabbed some gloves and a hat from my bag. Some people were still in there offices so Slick and I entered easily through the front door. We made sure to hide our faces from the outdoor camera with our baseball hats. I looked at the directory and saw the office was on the first floor around the corner.

"Only one camera on the outside not anywhere in these halls." Slick started working on the locks while I was the look out.

"I'm not sure if there's an alarm, we have 8 minutes to get in and out. Put your gloves on now and have your scanner ready, don't turn on any lights, I have a flash light." I nodded then he set his watch with an 8 minute count down and opened the door pulling me inside. We heard a few beeps from the alarm system and knew we had tripped it.

"It's a call center alarm company, one that goes to the police to check out." He started working on the main therapist's office door and picked it fast. Slick started going for the the filling cabinets picking the lock again. I was holding the flash light and helping him look for Rachel's name. In the last drawer of the filling cabinet I found it.

"6 minutes left."

I started scanning the pages with my wand. I got down to one minute and still had three sheets left to go. As soon as I finished Slick put the file back into the correct section and re-locked the cabinet and all the doors. We shoved everything in our pockets and strolled back through the hallway. I picked up some pamphlets on a table so I looked like on camera we had a meeting on one of the floors. We strolled back to the car and drove away. We didn't hear any sirens so we leisurely drove back to drop me at Les's house. I hooked up my scanner to my computer to start downloading the file.

An hour later we came to Les's gate and I still hadn't looked at Rachel's file yet. I don't know what I was waiting for but it was late and neither Ranger or Les were home. Slick helped me carry my bags inside and wished me a good night. I heard him leave after I armed the alarm. I left my bags in the living room and took my half eaten pie and laptop to bed. I grabbed _Ghostbuster's_ from my gift basket that Marisol was nice enough to include and placed it into the DVD player to watch in bed. I stripped down to my panties and one of Ranger's t-shirts then opened up my laptop to read the therapist's notes.

RPOV

Santos and I had a busy day with back to back meetings with the Miami employees regarding their reviews. I expected to be done with them in four days. I had started most in back in Trenton before I left so I didn't have a large amount of work waiting for me back home just a few odds and ends with Tank so I could return to normal duties. I didn't hear from Babe much today but I couldn't believe that poster she found. I didn't want our kids to think I was a superhero so I needed to talk to Ella about decorating the nursery in normal things like boats or trains.

I didn't get a chance to look at Babe's tracker's much today with working on different schematics and clients but I noticed the SUV pull into the underground garage and Slick and Hawk exit but no Babe. Weird she usually returns here then goes home with Santos and I. I sent her a message to see if she is ok then worked with Santos to finish up for the day. It was close to midnight when we left the building and I still hadn't received a text back from her. I called both of her phones but didn't get a response. I called Santos's house line and no one picked up.

"Drive faster I can't get a hold of her." No alarm was tripped and I felt deep down she was ok but I didn't like she didn't answer.

"Relax cuz she is probably sleeping. It's late."

We entered the gate and pulled up to the front. I pulled my gun and entered the house. None of the lights were on and I noticed shopping bags on the living room floor with her work bag. Santos and I cleared the downstairs then moved to the second floor. I got to our room and opened the door. I saw Babe asleep with her laptop closed on the bed with an empty pie box on her stomach and the end of _Ghostbuster's_ playing on the TV. Shit. What happen?

"See, she's fine. I'm heading to bed." Santos smacked my back and left. I started to turn off the TV and clear the bed. I noticed tears stains on her checks. I wanted to wake her up but I didn't want to see her cry. I left the room and called Slick to see what the hell had happened today. He answered immediately.

"Stephanie is upset. Report."

"Asset was fine all day until she made a phone call to Rachel then went to the mall to shop, eat cupcakes then purchased pies from a bakery. Asset seemed fine when I drove her home." I hung up on him.

Why did Babe call Rachel? And what did Rachel say to upset her? I rubbed my hands over my face. It's days like this I miss having the less complicated life. I got back into the bedroom and stripped down. I did my bathroom routine then got into bed and held her close. Babe stirred then opened her eyes. She looked so sad. I kissed her nose and played with a curl of her hair waiting for her to speak up.

"I'm a bad person Carlos... I did something bad that I knew was bad but I did it to try to help Rachel and you but Rachel hates me I found out today." I raised my eye brow at her and kept her chin up with my finger so I could look into her eyes.

"Explain." Babe was one of the best women I knew, her bad was nothing compared to what I have done so I wasn't too concerned yet. She felt guilty over a lot of things in her life.

She sighed "Your going to hate me but I did a background check on Rachel which you knew about then I called her earlier just to set up a meeting for coffee or dessert so it wouldn't be awkward at the party. I wanted to feel Rachel out as a person to see if she would open up to me about her issues... Rachel told me she wasn't interested in us being friends let alone acquaintances which I didn't care about but Rachel doesn't want me in her or Julie's life at all. Julie was the one that invited me to her party not Rachel or Ron and she called me your _"friend"_ on the phone then said I wouldn't last long... that she knew you for a long time and I was pretty much a fling you got pregnant... that you will dump me eventually in a sweet condescending tone..." I felt really pissed at Rachel and if it wasn't so late I would go over there right now and hash this shit out because now I'm at the end of my patience with her.

"I'll call her tomorrow, she was out of line with you. Rachel doesn't know me at all or anything about our relationship Babe. Your not a fling your _my woman_ and your not going anywhere because I would find you and bring you back where you belong."

SPOV

I saw the truth and sadness in Ranger's eyes. He tried to kiss my lips but I stopped him.

"I didn't tell you yet why I'm a bad person, you cut me off... I've been debating a few days about copying Rachel's therapist's file to get an idea what our meeting would be like so we were prepared but I decided to talk to Rachel first just to meet her or maybe see what she said first. After she blew me off I was hurt for many reasons... After a few hours Slick and I broke in and copied the file tonight and I read it. I'm ashamed I did it but I would never use it to hurt her in any way I just wanted answers to her situation because I felt like it was going to be a shit storm when we all sat down." Ranger had his blank face firmly down and I couldn't read him at all. Shit.

"I know I crossed a line and I know your probably upset and disappointed in what I did, I should have asked you first before I did it but I don't know... I needed to know about her too because in a way I do feel like I am her sometimes. I feel like once the babies are born you may hate the crying and the pooping then realize again your life doesn't lend itself to a relationship and decide your not family material then disappear into the wind." I took a deep breath.

"In a sick way I wanted to know how she dealt with it because I don't know how I ever could if that happened to us. I'm sorry." I felt the tears fall down my face. I tried wiping them away. Ranger's face softened a little. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom and locked myself in. We both needed time to think separately. I got into the shower and replayed the information in that file that the doctor noted.

Rachel came into therapy to deal with her trauma of Julie's kidnapping. She felt an array of emotions but mostly guilt because she was ten minutes late to pick Julie up that day from school. Rachel had been held up at the grocery store. She blamed herself for days then discovered her ex husband's stalker was the kidnapper and turned the blame to Ranger although she was hopeful Ranger would find her safe.

Over that week Rachel barely ate or slept and felt numb from crying. When Julie was returned Rachel immediately placed Julie into the care of a therapist. Rachel felt her daughter could be sexually assaulted and wanted her checked out. The child therapist noticed signs of distress in Rachel and Rachel confessed she was struggling emotionally. Rachel was recommended to me for assistance.

After Rachel received proof Julie wasn't sexually violated Rachel felt better but still felt anger, guilt, depression and lack of control. When asked how she coped she said shopping, spending time with her family. The doctor noted Ranger helped with the therapy costs as well as provide security for the children and private schooling because he felt guilty and Rachel wanted her children safe again although she didn't like them out of her sight anymore.

The doctor noted Rachel said the kid's are watched a lot more closely now and don't go to stranger's houses or sleep overs. The doctor noted Rachel was suffering separation anxiety and other forms of anxiety, concerned that this could happen again to her family. They worked on that through many sessions.

Over time the therapist asked Rachel to talk more about Ranger since she had so much anger towards him even though the doctor reminded her it wasn't his fault he had a stalker, he wanted the whole picture. No matter what positive things the doctor said about Ranger, Rachel denied them. Rachel said she was at a party at someone's house in college and some military men were there on leave hanging out. Rachel saw Ranger drinking from a far but at the time called him Carlos. Ranger was friends with someone else she knew at the time so she felt safe with him. They drank and flirted most of the night then went back to his hotel room." I felt sick reading those details.

To put it nicely they fooled around a lot then she the best sex of her life but the condom broke. In the morning Rachel woke up alone and was upset Ranger left and thought she wouldn't see him again. Rachel described how good Ranger was in bed and how good looking he was at the time and how she wanted a relationship with him.

It wasn't until Rachel didn't get her period, a month later she took a pregnancy test and found out Ranger got her pregnant. She contacted her friend who contacted Lester who then gave Rachel his number. Ranger was upset by the news and told her he would call her back. Eventually he did and he explained he didn't want a baby or a wife because he was going into Special Forces in the Army but if the child was indeed his he would provide for it and take responsibility. He even agreed to tell her parents with her. Her parents were upset but when Ranger said he was taking responsibility things smoothed over.

As soon as it was safe to get a paternity test Ranger would provide for the child and marry Rachel to receive military benefits and legitimize the birth since Rachel was very Catholic and Ranger's family as well. Ranger left Rachel with an address if she needed to contact him. Rachel said she wrote weekly to him hoping to develop a relationship since they were having a baby together and thought the distance emotionally was because they didn't know each other before he left and just needed time. Rachel said she included pictures of her and the sonograms but Ranger never wrote back until it was time he would be in town for the paternity test.

Ranger took her out to eat a few times and Rachel tried to kiss him or touch him intimately but Ranger wouldn't respond back to her. She felt frustrated and angry at him. Rachel felt he didn't find her attractive anymore because she was larger from the pregnancy.

When paternity was proven Ranger agreed to marry Rachel to make child support easier but told her as soon as the baby was born he would file for divorce. Ranger told Rachel he didn't want a wife or to settle down with a family. They married weeks later but on there honeymoon night Rachel said she was really sick from the pregnancy but tried to be intimate with her husband anyone but Ranger refused.

He said he didn't want to give her the wrong idea about this becoming something more. He left early the next morning to ship out and she wrote him weekly again about her life and the pregnancy because she was hoping he would fall in love with her too one day especially when he held his daughter in his arms. But Ranger never sent a letter back. Her mother told Rachel, Ranger just needed time and when he got home they would be happy together. Her parents told her they would help them find a home to live in and a job for him at her father's business. The doctor asked Rachel why she didn't get a job or go back to school and she said she had no interest, she always wanted to be a wife and mother and she didn't enjoy school.

Rachel wasn't sure if Ranger was with other women while they were married but she assumed he was since he wouldn't touch her. She wrote him begging for a reply, confessing her love for him but he responded with a few sentences saying women often confuse love for a man when they truly love their child, and Rachel didn't know him well enough to love him and he didn't love her.

Eventually Julie was born and Rachel sent him a letter with a picture. Ranger came home a few months later and held her for a few minutes but she said he had this blank face in place. Rachel didn't see any love or devotion, nothing. After the visit Ranger handed her the divorce papers that day. She tried to talk him out of it and seduce him but it proceeded.

At the time Rachel had been in contact with Ron on and off but once she was served the papers she started dating Ron again who fell in love with Julie right away. Rachel confessed she loved Ron in high school but they split so he could go off to college. Rachel said Ranger was emotionally distant and secretive towards her and Julie and she felt she needed someone who expressed his emotions and would love her back.

I was really really pissed that Rachel confessed at first and sometimes later in years she still pictures Ranger during sex with Ron to get herself off because Ranger was the best sex she ever had. Rachel said when she asked Ranger to give up his rights she thought she would finally see some emotion that maybe he would fight for her and the baby but days later he signed the papers. She felt deeply hurt by that. Rachel said she encouraged Ranger over the years to have a relationship with Julie but it was formal and distant. After the kidnapping that encouragement stopped. The doctor asked her if she regretted the divorce and she said yes and no. If he was emotionally available like Ron she would have stayed happily married to him for the rest of her life but Ranger couldn't get away from her fast enough. The doctor asked her how she coped back then and she said shopping and making Ron and Julie her priority. The doctor noted Rachel didn't have any interests herself just lived her life through her family.

The doctor pick up on her shopping addiction quickly and offered other coping mechanisms for anger, disappointment, depression and sadness but Rachel didn't see a problem. She said she could afford it and it made her feel control again, happier and better. The doctor pointed out it was Julie's child support and Rachel said Ranger could afford it and Julie's needs were always taken care of first. The doctor didn't agree and told her to increase her sessions instead of coming in sporadically like she had been. The doctor prescribed medication too but Rachel never filled them.

Eventually Rachel didn't like the doctor's opinion of her or his suggestions after a few months so she stopped going. The doctor noted she was in a deep denial about her issues and Ron wasn't calling her on them in therapy and at home they didn't want to fight. There were a few sections about her issues with Ron but nothing related to Ranger just basic marriage frustrations. Rachel didn't mention complaining about the guards to her doctor but I deduced it was out of anger from Ranger. In the end Rachel was diagnosed with a shopping addiction, an anxiety disorder, insomnia, denial and was strongly encourage to speak to Ranger about all the anger and hurt she has been harboring against him for years. Rachel disagreed with his assessment stating nothing was wrong with her and blaming her issues on Ranger then never came back.

I was sitting on the floor of the shower letting the hot water flow down my back when I saw Ranger's feet inside the stall with me. He placed his hands under my arms and lifted me up.

"I don't hate you. I don't think I could ever hate you. I wish you would have come to me first then decided this together but I read the file on your computer. I knew most of those things already some I didn't. As far as her letters I was training or a war zone, we don't get normal post and I didn't know what to write back. Rachel wanted this happy family and I didn't want to lead her on. I made it clear every time I saw her I didn't love her. I never led her on about my feelings or intentions... Your not Rachel. I chose to be with you before you got pregnant because I love you Babe." Ranger had his hand on my belly then bent down to kiss my stomach. Both of our emotions were raw right now.

"I wasn't ready to be a father 13 years ago and some days I don't feel ready now but I want you and them... I... can't imagine my life anymore without you. I didn't know about Rachel's issues she hid them from me but we will go forward with our plan then let the pieces fall. We have our own family to think about now and I'm not going to dwell on it anymore once we leave Florida. Ron gave me assurances about Julie and that's all that mattered to me." I saw in his eyes he meant every word. I let some tears fall from my face. Ranger stood up and dried my body with a towel. He took me into his arms then carried me back to bed.

"Go to sleep Babe. We'll figure it out tomorrow." He kissed my lips lightly then held me close to him.


	43. Chapter 43

SPOV

Eventually I awoke. My throat was scratchy and my eyes hurt from last night. I'm not a pretty crier so I can only imagine what I looked like this morning. Ranger was sitting up in bed naked under the sheet typing on his computer. It was almost 8 am and I was confused why he was still here and not at Rangeman.

"I told you we would talk. I didn't want to put it off." I nodded. He put his laptop to the side.

"I don't think I should go to Julie's party, I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable."

Ranger shook his head "Julie invited you and Ron knew you were coming with me and was fine with it. If you don't go Julie will be disappointed and your also giving Rachel more power over your emotions then she deserves... What Rachel told you was based on her experience with a warped sense of anger because I wouldn't join her vision of the family she envisioned. From the doctor's notes it seemed like Rachel idolized my looks but didn't care for anything else about me. She still thinks of me from 13 years ago then the man I am now. I've never communicated with Rachel about anything except Julie so I can see how she may feel that way. I'm not looking to change my relationship with her, if she wants to voice her anger at me I'll listen but she isn't a part of my life. When I visited I mostly sat in the living room with Julie while her parents were doing other things around the house. I rarely took Julie out of the home to go anywhere and we really didn't talk much. I mostly just asked her questions about school and her life...

Babe you know I can't promise you forever in my line of work but I can promise you the rest of my life. To love you, forsake all others, to care for you even when you drive me crazy... I'm with you because I can't live without you anymore. I don't need a piece of paper holding me to those words because you know when I say them I mean them." Ranger was looking deeply into my eyes while playing with a curl of my hair.

"You may feel differently when you have two newborns at home screaming at all hours." I bit my lip.

"I'm Cuban. I'm use to a lot of noise and I need a lot less sleep then you. When we both need a break we have Ella or a babysitter. Just because we have kids doesn't mean I'm going to stop chasing you, seducing you every chance I get." I felt Ranger's erection against my hip.

"I never want you with anyone else Babe. I have just as much to lose as you... I saw the fear of losing me in your eyes last night...Both of us are going to mess this up at one time or another but you were honest with me last night. That was important to me above anything else. I love you and I love how our good days outnumber our bad. But even on the bad days I hate being apart from you."

"I just want you Carlos." Ranger kissed me and started moving on top of me. I wrapped my legs around his waist just as his tip started to enter me I heard loud pounding coming from our bedroom door.

Ranger growled as he turned his head. "Go away Santos!"

"Can't cuz! Steph your phone is blowing up. Tank says he needs you now."

Ranger said something in Spanish as he grabbed his pants off the floor, pulling them up leaving the button open. I covered myself with the sheet as Ranger unlocked the door. Les tried to poke his head in but Ranger pushed it away hard and took the phone from him.

He handed me the phone. With a raised eyebrow.

"Hey what's up big guy?"

"I left you four messages yesterday and you didn't call me back." He sounded stressed.

"I'm sorry I..." He cut me off now sounding panicked.

"I have a date tonight with Eve. I don't know what to wear. Do I buy chocolate? And what is the deal with "I'll call you" at the end of the date?... Wait more importantly do you have plans tonight at six because I can plant a bug at the table and a comm unit in my ear. Can you help with the conversation during dinner?"

"Wow that was fast." Ranger was trying to make me put the phone on speaker but I just shook my head no and smiled. I covered the phone.

"Do we have plans and what time?" Ranger's faced went blank.

"I'll get off at 7 then dinner at 730."

"Ya Tank I'm free until 730. Wear that black suit I've seen you in for client meetings and a white shirt or black shirt, open at the top, no tie. Flowers are romantic, I'm partial to a single red rose but pink roses are nice too. Nothing yellow that means friendship to me... Dinner is nice with dancing and since it's New Year's Eve take her to the park for the fire works or find a high building to watch them from. That would be romantic. And I don't know anything about comm units to set this up." Ranger looked really confused now.

"I can have Santos set something up for you, you just need a laptop."

"Are you sure you want me in your ear? It's not romantic with three at dinner." Tank was really quiet.

"Please Steph. I've never felt this way before." My heart went out to him.

"No problem. I can help until my date with Ranger. She must be special if your..."

"I'm not talking about it. Later." And he hung up on me!

"All of you have the worst phone manners in the world!" Ranger started taking his pants off again and smiled at me.

"Let me make it up to you now." He was giving me his bedroom eyes and cat ate the canary smile.

Ranger was many things in bed, passionate, loving, dominating but sweet. He could read my body and know exactly what I wanted without direction. And just in case I missed the message of how much he loved me with his lips, he told me, again and again how much I was his and would always be his. I hated how the old insecure Stephanie was still inside me coming out at the worst times and vowed to work on it this coming year.

Ranger and I were catching our breath after making love and I knew he was waiting to pounce about Tank. When he finally spoke I rolled over giving him a big smile.

"So Tank has a woman and needs your help?" I started giggling.

"I've been sworn to secrecy. When he is ready to tell you he will... Don't give him shit about it either! He is nervous enough as it is." Ranger used his hand the wipe his face. He did this when he was stressed.

"Just tell me it's not Lula again."

"It's not Lula." I kissed his nose. Ranger looked a little more relieved.

"Are we good?"

"Yeah Batman were good. I'll go to Julie's party... Rachel is probably insecure about me too which is why she lashed out... You've never brought a woman to meet them before but I'm not going to make a scene a Julie's party, if Rachel is out of hand I'll leave. We can address the issue at the meeting but I'm not important in this scenario. I want you to focus on telling her things will be changing due to her actions."

"Rachel would never make a scene. I've already found someone to put into place. Julie's check won't be issued to Rachel tomorrow, instead it will go into an account I've setup up already. I called Rachel this morning and left her a message to call me back but I think she is avoiding me right now because of your conversation yesterday. I have a feeling I will hear from her when she notices the check not in her account."

"Sneaky. She has to decide if she wants to talk to you to find out about the money or not." Ranger and I finished showering and dressing.

"What's your plan today Babe?"

"I'm staying here. I was going to watch King but I'll do it tomorrow first thing. I'm going to work out now, make calls, do some background checks then I have a conference call with Tank." I started giggling. That's what Tank asked me to call it. "I guess Les is setting it up for me here? It will also give me time to get ready for our date. Are we going out or staying in?"

"In. I have meetings all day but call me if you need me."

I walked Ranger to the door and saw at the dinning room table my Vigo portrait unwrapped by Les and sitting at the table. Near his face was a post-it note speech bubble. It said "Pie Good!" with Les's pie all eaten, only the empty pan left.

Ranger saw it and stopped short.

"Please tell me that's Santos's painting."

"Nope." I popped the p. "I thought of it in the screening room." Rangers shoulders relaxed. He gave me one last kiss and took his Porsche to work.

RPOV

I was worried for a minute Babe would put portrait into our bedroom. I don't think I could have sex with it watching me. When she asked what are plans were for tonight I realized I didn't make any. I meant too but it slipped my mind. I'm not use to making plans for the holidays I usually work. I knew it was too late for a reservation so I said we'd stay in and now I'm screwed. Marisol was taking off early today so I called Santos.

"Yo."

"I forget to make plans tonight for me and Steph. I told her dinner at 7:30 your place, your still going out right? Do you know anyone who can decorate and make dinner for us?"

"Ya I'm going out... my housekeeper Sofia can put some romantic crap together with music but it will cost you. Anything special you need I will call her right now."

"A single red rose and I'll call my guy at Cartier now. She is going to be home all day so make sure Sofia keeps this between us."

"Her English isn't great, when I drop off the computer I'll tell Steph Sofia is coming and to stay out of the main rooms..."

He started giving me grief about me dating so I hung up on him. I called Cartier on my speed dial. Christmas Day I added it to my phone just in case I ever really messed up with Babe per Tank's suggestion. I still couldn't believe she bought me my dream car. It made me want to shower her in diamonds but she would never wear them. Steph likes low key everyday jewelry and would be upset with something flashy and be afraid to wear it out.

I wanted her to wear something special tonight, something that showed her I loved her and Rachel was full of crap. I've thought of proposing to her the last few months off and on but now isn't the right time especially after last night. I know Babe isn't ready yet and I'm still working on my own issues about marriage but I'm 99% sure I do want to marry her someday. The timing is key. I don't want to scare her off and I don't want her to think it's because she is pregnant.

I noticed Steph wears her wedding band from Greece on her opposite hand everyday for the last month. I thought it was just a piece of jewelry to her but I notice her smile at it sometimes and how well she takes care of it. I heard Babe tell Mary Lou on the phone the black diamonds represented me and the white her. I didn't think of it at the time when I purchased it. I just thought it was a beautiful piece that reminded me of her.

"Mr. Manoso."

"Calvin. I need a necklace by 7 pm tonight. An everyday piece for a woman with an inscription that says..._ Babe All my Love, All my Life._ Platinum preferably that pairs well with my prior purchases in my account. I'll send my man to pick it up today. Charge it to my account. I also want to place a future order for some charms to be picked up at a later date. Something to do with the New Year's, a gun, something to do with family that includes that word, some kind of heart for Valentine's Day, a lion and a Cuban charm of some sort. " I tried to think of things I had coming up that I would be doing with Babe or we had done already. I planned on taking her to some Cuban places on this trip as well as the zoo because she likes animals.

"Of course Sir. It will be ready by 3 and I will alert you when I have the charm designs for your approval." I hung up. I liked Calvin. He had great taste and an eye for design. I told him Babe's style years ago and he has been my contact since. He never asks too many questions and has always helped me picked jewelry for my aliases that involve Babe as well as my gifts to her in the last few months.

I drove to Rangeman and thought about Babe. Rachel hid her anger towards me for many years and I never saw it but I did see her attraction to me at times. Most women were but I've learned to ignore it. And Rachel was never obvious about it, she would check me out when she opened the door. I chalked it up to not seeing each other for months on end.

I hated what Rachel said to Babe and now I'm glad I found someone to administer the account for Julie. I'm also removing the bodyguards after the meeting. I'll keep Mace, Scully and King on a rotation to monitor Julie discreetly but I'm not wasting my resources anymore. If Rachel continues her attitude towards Babe I'll also pull the schooling for her other children. Ron understood my position before he left our meeting, I'm not concerned with his reaction at all. I feel like a fool though, at the time I thought I was doing the right thing by their family. I let guilt cloud my judgement. I just thought by helping them I would also help my karma too. I let the issue roll because I thought it would fix itself eventually but now I'm ready to wash my hands clean of it.

Rangeman and Babe need to be my priority now. I can't go into the wind unfocused, I keep getting this feeling I'm going to be called soon. I made sure my will was up to date before I left Trenton and I wrote Babe a new letter telling her how much I loved her and the babies that I wanted her to be happy in life if I die. I asked her to let Tank watch over her and them and not push him away.

I asked that she live everyday to the fullest and know I'm proud of her no matter what. I didn't mention I didn't want her to go back to Morelli, Tank already knows if anything happens to keep him away no matter what. It's one thing for my children to grow up not knowing me, it's another for Morelli to fill their minds with hate and lies about me. Babe would never allow that but I didn't trust him. I trusted Ron to protect and love Julie, now I need to do the same with my family... my family, it's still sinking in for me.

SPOV

I walked on the treadmill for an hour then decided to start getting ready early for my evening. I shaved everything which took a long time since my growing belly makes it hard to see every inch of myself. Then I exfoliate and rubbed lotion all over myself. I wasn't ready for my dress so I put on some shorts and a button up shirt to do my hair and makeup. I kept it simple with a smokey eye. I noticed Ranger liked it that way.

I messaged Slick that he had off today and to have fun but to "Cover his stump before he humped."

He messaged back "Don't worry. When I can't cover my rocket, I leave it in my pocket." He told me to call him if I needed anything but he deserved the day off and to have some fun too. I could only imagine the parties tonight at some of these night clubs we drove by yesterday and was thankful I didn't have to go. Clubs were never my thing not even in college.

For breakfast I had some toast with black olives and raspberry jelly then some Life cereal with caramel syrup I found in the cabinet. I was really lucky Les wasn't a health nut. Ranger told me I would feel more comfortable here then at Rangeman and he was right. The view from the windows was amazing. It was so peaceful here but I couldn't see myself living in Miami full time. Grandma Mazur is getting older and I want to be with her for as long as I can. I don't know what I will do when she gets to old to live alone. I know she won't want to live with my parents again and I can't see her wanting to live at a facility. I'd probably move her into the house with me and Ranger but who knows if that will fly with him.

I need to make a point of getting them together so he can see all of her shades not just horny. I put bags from yesterday's shopping trip into our bedroom and started packing the items back into my suitcase so I wouldn't forget. I decided to procrastinate a little and do some laundry. I washed Ranger and my clothes then our sheets and towels. Les told me he has a house keeper but she only comes once a week since he doesn't make a huge mess and lives alone. I asked him if he brings women here and he told me no, not just for security reasons but he dates a lot and doesn't want to lead anyone on or have a gold digger try and move in on him. I got his logic but he was a really great guy and it would be nice to see him settle down one day.

I sat in the living room to run a quick background on my new client Carmel Havens. Married for five years to Scott Havens. They met at work before she took a new job at a larger marketing company. They lived together in condo in Robbinsville with a Bull Dog name Cinnamon but no children. Carmel wants to know if her husband is cheating.

I looked at his credit card history and didn't see any hotel room charges or large amounts of money being removed... I will probably have to follow him. A lack of charges or missing money doesn't mean he isn't cheating, he just isn't paying for the place. Scott was a very good looking man, very Chris Hemsworth from the movie _Thor_. In Carmel's email she said she was suspicious because she thought she could smell perfume on him one night after work and sometimes she can't reach him at work when she calls. Carmel confronted Scott in the past but he told her she was crazy and nothing was going on and how much he loved her. Carmel doesn't think she is crazy and wants a baby soon but needs to know if her husband is faithful before she takes the next step with him. She said she was referred from a friend of a friend that knows Sally Sweet. I have to call him it's been too long. When I get back to Trenton maybe I should catch his band playing a show.

I looked back at Carmel's information. I knew that feeling she had, your gut says he's up to no good but you cant find the proof. You check his clothes, credit cards, sometimes his phone or browsing history but he covers his tracks. Dickie was like that until I tricked him. I told him I was going to be gone all day then watched from a distance for a car to show up. It did not even an hour later. I caught his butt screwing Joyce on my dinning room table. I think I was more upset it was Joyce then my marriage ending. I printed everything out and created a new folder for Carmel. When I got back I'd meet with her and see if she could afford my rate, if not I'd work with her, even doing payment plans for people.

I ran a credit search on Reid Grey but it was still maxed out. I moved on to the victim that alerted everyone to the killer in the first place. Jacquelyn Bridges, 34, Vermont resident. She lived alone but was engaged to Jerald Pool who was in Africa working as a Doctor for several months. I reread my notes about how the factory was closed for two weeks due to poor weather and Jacquelyn didn't return to work afterwards. After three days she was reported missing by her best friend that also works with her. Jacquelyn was found two miles from the factory under a tree five months later.

I ran a search on Jerald Pool days ago and found out he returned back to Africa but couldn't find much on him recently. After Jacquelyn's body was discovered I saw Jerald entered therapy for several months to deal with his grief then returned to work. I didn't see any storage units listed and he didn't have an address in Vermont. I even called his parents before Christmas and no one called me back. I decided to try them again then her friend who reported her missing.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mrs. Pool my name is Stephanie, I'm investigating the murder of Jackie Bridges... I'm not a cop please don't hang up." I caught her just before she did.

"We got your messages. I know who you are, we didn't call you back because we don't know anything. My son is moving on. It took him a long time but he is ready again."

"I understand. I'm having trouble getting a hold of him but what is your take on Jackie's death? You don't seem to care much for her by your tone?"

"I think she was cheating on my son for many years while they dated and it was a mistake he ever proposed. I don't think she would have made my son happy in the end and I don't think she cared about his work or goals." I rolled my eyes at her.

"What makes you think she was cheating?"

"I'd go over to her house sometimes to check on her for my son and she never let me in, like she was hiding someone inside. I saw a love note on top of her mail once too something about her beauty and smile."

"Do you remember what the note said exactly? Or who has it now?"

"No. I just remember the initials H.W. but I couldn't figure out who it was. I even looked in our town phone book but no one in her age range matched. Most of her things the police took or her friend Kathy. Jerald took a few gifts he given her, some mementos of their time together like photos but everything else went into the trash. I threw it out myself. Her friend Kathy took some clothes and some jewelry, a few photos. I told my son my thoughts on her, I just never cared for the girl and it's not kind to speak poorly of the dead but I'm happy my son didn't marry her."

"So no date books, papers, laptop or the love note?"

"No as I said it was trashed." I groaned. I sent her a picture of my suspect but she didn't recognize him.

I thanked Mrs. Pool for her time then moved onto Kathy's number. Kathy said the same thing as Mrs. Pool except she didn't think Jackie was cheating, Jackie didn't like her fiance's mother in her business which is why she never invited her inside. Kathy didn't know anything about a love note and she said she didn't see anything in her things when she cleaned it out with Mrs. Pool since her fiance was too upset to do it himself.

I asked Kathy if Jackie had a secret she was hiding from everyone since Slick noticed a pattern with the other women. Kathy said she didn't know any secrets but Jackie would have told her if someone was bothering her or something major was going on. She never believed Jackie would just run away so she reported it to the police but no one believed her at first. I sent Kathy a picture of my suspect but it didn't ring any bells for her either.

I moved onto my next victim. Cristina Fox. Went by Crystal Fox an escort for Masquerade Escort Services. Lived in Brooklyn, New York and reported missing one month later by her landlord. I grabbed her employer's number and made the call, last time the secretary blew me off so I searched for her personal cell.

"This is Leeanna."

"Hi Stephanie Plum, before you hang up on me I'm not a cop, I just wanted to speak to you about Cristina Fox. I'm hunting down her killer who has also killed many other women. I just need a minute of your time."

"You have two." I asked my usual questions then sent her a picture. Leeanna said she didn't know anything and the man wasn't a client, she would have recognized him. When she said she was sorry Crystal was dead I believed her. She talked about how Crystal's clients liked her for parties and she was a decent person despite her background.

I looked up her family then remembered Crystal grew up in foster care and her parents were in prison. I doubt she'd voice her issues to clients so I called her landlord who was very rude and told me the moment he was alerted she died the police looked for evidence again but he trashed everything in the apartment to rent it our to the next person since he depended on the income. I asked if he had kept anything of hers and he said no. The things worth money he sold to a pawn shop for back rent and the rest he hired a service to clean out. I described my suspect to him since I called his land line and he said he barely remembers Crystal let alone some guy. Great!

I moved onto Amber Lynn Tabernacle, originally from North Carolina but moved to the Lower West Side of New York City. Parents had a nasty divorce over infidelity and Amber wasn't close to either. Amber had a sister from her father's new wife and worked for a small publishing house as a small time editor of mysteries. She worked from home a lot and was reported missing after one week because she did not return emails, calls or submit work. Her boss reported it to police and stated, she was a hard worker, independent, kept to herself and didn't mix business with pleasure. I called both of her parents who blamed the other for her death and lack of communication. I could see why Amber didn't call them often I was getting a headache myself. They said Amber hadn't spoken to them for years, she was tired of being in the middle of their fighting. I asked if her half sister and her were close but her father told me no. I called the land lord but he passed away months ago from a heart attack according to his wife.

I had no new leads at all. The last victim I researched was the first victim.

I knew I would have trouble finding information on victim's more then two years old since a lot of time has pasted, things that belong to these women are gone and people's memory's are faded but I was hoping for a scrap.

Regina Patterson came from a broken home in Ohio, she was a receptionist at an animal shelter that only worked part time so her boss reported her not showing up to the police after two weeks. A month after she was reported missing he Landlord re-rented her apartment to a new tenant. The landlord's number on record was disconnected. Regina's cause of death was lack of oxygen. I looked up her employer's number and called him.

"Dr. Labbe's office."

"Hi may I speak to Garfield it's very important." I thought if I used his first name she would put me through and it worked.

"Hello?"

"Hi you don't know me but my name is Stephanie Plum and I'm investigating Regina's murder as well as other murder's after hers that are related. Do you know anything about loves notes she received? Someone following her? Any secrets she was hiding?"

I also described my suspect and he said no. He didn't know her that well and only gave her a job because he felt sorry for her. Her father was an alcoholic in town and her mother was often in other people's bed's so we she turned 18 she moved out as fast as she could. Eventually she was a waitress until she got a job at the animal shelter. Garfield reported her missing to the sheriff because she didn't seem like the type to disappear but she didn't live in a great part of town either." I thanked him and hung up.

I heard the alarm disengaged while I was sitting in bed then a loud knock on the door.

"Come in!"

I notice it was almost 5 pm. Les came into the room with a laptop and headset in hand.

"This is for your conference call with Tank and Ranger asks that you stay out of the kitchen and living room until he comes home so your surprise isn't ruined for tonight. Sofia my housekeeper is here now to help but she doesn't speak a lot of English. She is also tidying up the main rooms and doing some laundry for me too... You looked stressed what's up?"

"I'm really stalled on my case. I'm running out of evidence to look for."

"Hmm well I'm home now for the day and I still have a few hours to get ready. Let me grab a whole pie with two forks and I'll look at the evidence with you. I always wanted to be Nancy Drew... Maybe you just need a fresh pair of eyes." Les wiggled his brows making me laugh.

A few minutes later he returned and laid a new blanket over the already made bed.

"I don't want Ranger's fluid's on my baby smooth skin."

"I washed the sheets already weirdo." I would miss Les when we left. He always made me smile.

I left him all my notes and got up to change into my dress for tonight in the bathroom. I had to log into the computer for Tank in 45 minutes then listen to his date till Ranger arrived. I never saw Tank this nervous with Lula but I thought it was sweet. It was killing me to know if she was from the match maker I set him up with or someone else but he was tight lipped about her.

I picked a simple black maternity dress I received from Christmas that accentuated my best parts, my boobs and legs. My bump was sort of hidden by the fabric of the dress that you couldn't tell I was pregnant unless I was side ways. It was pretty too with crystals around the v neck of the dress and comfortable halter straps.

"Do you think Ranger will like this?" Les smiled.

"Ya I don't expect you to wear it for too long...if you need any items to enhance your evening check my closet on the right side." I blushed red.

"We're good."

"Do you have a lady in mind tonight?"

"No but I will find one at the party then go back to her place or a hotel room. You two kids can have fun alone but tomorrow I'm calling for a movie night, Ranger's over working me lately."

Les read over the papers while I started getting the computer on and headset adjusted. I had ten minutes to go.

"He's smart and a planner. He picks victim's that don't have a lot of people to care about them and he doesn't kill them violently. He doesn't leave marks on them so he must not touch them much after he changes their appearance. My guess is he works for himself or makes his own hours like a sales man for example. They travel a lot, meet many different people, go to many different functions to network. Did you look and see if any of the woman went to functions or parties open to the public before they were taken probably months before?"

"No." I made a note to look into that, it was a decent idea and more then I had right now.

"I noticed in your notes he was only caught twice on camera and both weren't very visible camera's to the eye because of a tree or a piece of the roof covering it but otherwise you couldn't find him in any videos... It's like a game, he sent you to the factory so you would chase him like he has been chasing you... I see two ideas, you can continue to ignore him and he may lash out and send you more gifts or you can challenge him. Make it clear your on the case and aren't impressed with his abilities at all. Piss him off in some way." I heard my laptop beeping but I wanted to finish this conversation with Les so we agreed to meet up tomorrow.

"Hey Les!" He turned around to look at me. "Cage that snake before you shake and bake." He was surprised then laughed. He pulled a roll of condoms from his pocket then winked as he left.

"Steph?"

"Hey Tank. You ok?"

"No I'm sweating." I had to hide my mouth from laughing.

"That's normal just make sure you smell good. If you don't, stop and grab some cologne or something. Where are you right now?"

"Sitting in the parking lot, I'm early."

"Just be yourself big guy but don't show her your cat pictures right away only show her one if she asks first."

"I just saw her park, she's early too."

"Good. Don't forget your flowers just breathe. Be a gentleman pull out her chair and be polite. Introduce yourself with a hand shake then lightly place your hand on her lower back to guide her to your table. If you get nervous just pretend your talking to me at the table."

Tank POV

I hand a napkin in my pocket and I kept wiping my forehead. I wiped my hands on my pants a bunch of times too. I noticed Eve enter the front of the restaurant and I was a few steps behind her. When she saw me she smiled and kissed my check as a hello. I touched my check with my hand like an idiot.

"Hi I'm Eve and you must be Tank." I heard Steph in my ear. "Say yes. Nice to meet you, you look beautiful tonight."

I repeated her words and was thankful I included Steph now otherwise I would be a bumbling fool right now.

I went up to the hostess then lead Eve to our table just like Steph told me. I notice Eve blush.

"I've never been here before Tank have you?" I just shook my head no. Steph spoke up "You can at least tell her no. Use your words. God between you and Ranger it kills me sometimes."

"No, but I had a recommendation from my friend Steph."

Eve looked curious "An ex?" What? I felt my eyes widen.

"No!..No my best friend's woman." Steph spoke up "Don't call me his woman, say girlfriend like a normal person to her instead of the cave man name he uses."

"Girlfriend... she prefers but he calls her his woman in private." Eve was smiling at me now. The waiter took our drink order and we had a little champagne and water. I didn't notice anyone in the restaurant or the decor I just kept looking into her eyes then at her lips.

"I'm a little nervous it's been a long time since I've been on a date Tank so if I stumble in conversation you will have to excuse me. My friends told me all of these rules and it's a lot! I rather just spend the evening getting to know each other with out the games." I felt better but still a little nervous. Steph spoke up so I said her words.

"I'm nervous too. I don't date much because I work a lot but most woman are afraid of my size too." Eve roamed her eyes over my body and smiled.

"I like a big man." I had a small smile on my lips. "What are you going to order? I'm thinking the fried calamari to start then the trout special. I'm not a huge salad fan for dinner. I enjoy food too much."

I looked at the menu and picked the first thing "Umm the meatloaf." I heard Steph talking to herself now. Hmm meatloaf. Now I want that too. Damn.

I kept a smile on my face but was trying not to chuckle at her that Eve would notice.

"Make sure your making eye contact Tank and try to smile! No blank face tonight. Ask her about herself and her family or her job." Steph said through my ear piece.

Eve told me she had a brother a year younger who was now an engineer in Pittsburgh and she became a Vet because she loved animals growing up and always took them in. Eve asked me if I had any animals so I showed her one picture of my three cats. Steph told me only one. I found it easy to talk about them and not myself. Eve showed a picture of her cat too. When our entrees's arrived I knocked over my glass of water all over the table. I could have kicked myself for being so clumsy.

SPOV

I heard the water spill and Tank trying to clean it up. I told him it was fine, it's water and accidents happen but I could tell her was beating himself up over it. Ranger came through the bedroom door in his GQ suit so I covered my microphone.

"I need a few minutes Tank's choking."

"Tank it's fine. Everything was cleaned up and she doesn't sound angry from her voice. She even laughed. Calm down, think of your cats again. Ranger just got home so I only have a few more minutes but just eat your food like a normal person, don't scarf it down and chew with your mouth closed. Eve asked you about yourself a few times and you need to explain to her in your line of work knowing things about someone can be used against them, so you will reveal yourself more over time. Try to answer her questions as best as you can though." Ranger hit a button on the computer so he could listen to what I was doing. We heard a few minutes of conversation then I told tank I had to go but if he ran into trouble to go to the bathroom and call me. Otherwise just be himself because the date was on track again. I closed the lap top and Ranger had a mega watt smile on his face.

"Tank really likes her and she seems to like him, please don't say anything he was having a hard time even asking me for help. Promise me you won't, he swore me to secrecy."

Ranger kissed my lips and promised. He checked out my dress and pulled me close.

"Beautiful Babe." He kissed my neck then walked me to the living room. I saw candles everywhere with vases of flowers, petals scattered on the floor and table. A fire in the fireplace with some Latin music playing. Ranger spun me into his arms and taught me the Bachata. Eventually we moved onto little Salsa then slow danced. I loved being in his arms. No matter the dance he was skilled with turns and dips. I wasn't very good but he made up for it in his leading of me. Eventually we heard a timer go off so Ranger walked me to the dining room. The table was beautiful in silver and red, there was even party hats for us and noise makers. Ranger had a glass of wine poured for himself and some lemonade for me.

I saw on my plate a single red rose along with a large red Cartier box. I opened it and saw a beautiful Platinum necklace with two flowers connected together. In the center of each flower was a black diamond and the other a white diamond. It was beautiful. It matched my ring and bracelet perfectly. Ranger served our dishes, some kind of Cuban meat with a salad and soup.

"You shouldn't have. It's too expensive but I love it." I started taking my current necklace off to wear my new one when I noticed the inscription. B_abe All my Love, All my Life. _

I loved the necklace but the inscription meant so much more to me. It reminded me if his promise this morning and made me feel safe and secure in our relationship then ever before. Ranger sat next to me at the table but I got up to sit on his lap.

"I love you Carlos." I put both of my hands on the side of his face and kissed his deeply.

When we broke from the kiss we fed each other off our plates. We gave each other little kisses and neither wanted to break our connection. I didn't even notice the taste of our food just the passion in his eyes for me. We finished and cleared our plates. I grabbed the pie and started to dish a few pieces onto the plate.

"That's not the kind of pie I eat Babe."

"No but I thought it would be fun to eat off of you." I grabbed his hand and moved him to the living room. We both removed our clothes and fooled around on the couch and floor while listening to music. Eventually Ranger carried me to bed and made love to me while I only wore the jewelry he bought for me. We made love several times then watched the ball drop on TV snuggled together. Ranger gave me a steamy kiss at midnight then gave my stomach two kisses and wished the babies a Happy New Year too.

I checked my phone before bed but Tank never contacted me. Just well wishes from everyone including Joe.


	44. Chapter 44

SPOV

Ranger and I were just sitting down to breakfast when his cell rang and he had to take the call. I was starving so I dug into my omelet he had made me. I needed more meat, cheese and something else. I grabbed some salsa out of the fridge. Les came in a few minutes later with his shirt un-tucked, half open with scratches on his chest. I noticed a few hickeys on both sides of his neck and a lazy smile on his lips. He was still wearing his sunglasses inside and had an ice pack on his crotch. I snorted at him. He looked like one of those guys from _The Hangover_.

"Did you get attacked by a cougar?" He covered his ears in pain.

"Not so loud beautiful. I'm still hung over."

Les sat down in Ranger's chair then started to eat his breakfast, drinking his coffee. He added more cheese and salsa to his meal too, mumbling how he can't eat healthy shit hung over and wanted a pound of bacon instead.

"So how was your night?" I gave him a big smile.

"Awesome. I met this girl who was a model and we danced all night to some music then fooled around in a hotel room... My crotch is killing me from over use. She did this thing with her mouth..."

"Santos!" Ranger whacked him in the back of his head.

Ranger realized Les ate his breakfast so he grabbed him by his shirt pulling him out of the chair, pushing him out of the room while Les laughed. Ranger said something in rapid Spanish then returned to the kitchen to cook.

By the time Ranger sat down for breakfast I had to pee badly all of a sudden. I ran for the bathroom and almost ran Les down. He was dressed in his Rangeman uniform and making fun of me, calling me Speedy Gonzalez. I barely gave him the finger before I shut the door in his face. That's one thing that really sucked about pregnancy, I had to pee all the time now.

Eventually we made our way to the car in route to Rangeman.

"Beautiful I'm getting off work tonight at 7:30. Do you want to do wings, pizza with our movie tonight?"

"Sounds good. I'm craving Hawaiian but also garlic with extra olives... Did you have any other thoughts on my case?"

"Ya. I wanted to tell you last night that I took a girl once to dinner and she was a Pharmaceutical Rep. She traveled to different doctor's all over. Having some kind of route would make it easy for a stalker to find women without being suspicious. Other jobs that allow a person to travel would be a truck driver, auditors, consultants, field service engineers, or a recruiter.

I'd look into doctor's appointments, parties, social events, things like that where he could come in contact with lots of different women to choose from. I doubt he just drove around finding someone but that could be possible too. I'm guessing your suspect had a rough childhood, substance and alcohol abuse in the home or psychological abuse from a parent. Someone who grew up lonely and isolated.

Motive wise I'm not positive. It's about you but I don't know if it's attention seeking, anger or a thrill for him. If you find a suspect I'd expect him to lack remorse or guilt, possibly be mentally ill. You may just resemble someone from his childhood who hurt him and since he can't attack that person, he is attacking you... I knew this Fed once that was hunting a killer.

He told me over beers that when he caught the guy he was completely normal from the outside. He had a family, nice home, member of the community, steady job. The last person you would suspect. I remember he told me a lot about organize, disorganized and mixed killers. Disorganized killers are all impulsive, random weapons and rarely hide the body. I think your suspect is organized. He is methodical, he abducts these women, kills in one place then puts their dead bodies near there homes. He wants them identified.

I don't see any DNA or fingerprints so he fits into the profile of having forensic knowledge and he likes to follow you in the newspaper. I bet he follows his victim's in the paper too maybe even taking pride in his work from their death. A disorganized killer is more likely to be a loner while an organized one has a life, a woman, kids, friends. Organized killers make it easy for the victim's to trust him. Some victim's may have even gone with him willingly at first because he was normal. He could be mixed, a loner but organized in his killing... but that doesn't float with me. He isn't disorganized in anything else and has a distinct pattern he follows. What do you have on the missing victim?"

"Nothing but an approximate time she went missing. It's too many women to be exact."

"I saw in your notes...where you would personally hide a body if you were the killer. It was... adorable. But your a nervous person in general. You would need to know for your own piece of mind. You need to think in terms of the killer and his pattern. He likes to have them found within miles of there homes. I think the most was 10 miles? It would be the same for that missing victim too.

He has a pattern that he has to stick too because he has rules for himself. Not sticking to those rules would drive him mad. And your theory that she was killed and hidden because you were away for many months may just be a coincidence. The girl might have just fought back or tried to escape then died in the process. The only way to test that theory would be staying out of the light again for months but I know you won't do that."

How did I not see that! I smacked my hand to my forehead. "Of course he would follow his pattern and hide a body like the others." Ranger parked the car at Rangeman. I got out of the car and hugged Les.

"Thank you!" I kissed his check and went for the elevator excited to tell Slick his theory.

I heard Les say to Ranger that I liked him more since he didn't get a kiss before work. I stopped short and turned back around. I strutted back up to Ranger and gave him a real kiss with tongue.

I whispered against his lips "Have a great day sweat heart." Ranger had a small smile twitching at his lips but wasn't digging the nickname. I took the elevator while they took the stairs. I found Slick in our temporary War room. He didn't look any different unlike Les.

"Boring night? You don't look different?" He gave me a big smile.

"Nope it was very... stimulating." He didn't mention anything further although I was curious. I gave him a run down of Les's theory then we both started to go through the files of the missing women.

"I need some maps. I want to run through every address and look at different spots within 10 miles that someone could hide a body. It needs to be private with limited cameras."

"Are we still following King? He just left for his shift."

I sighed frustrated. "Yeah I forget. Do we have a third wheel again?"

"Hawk." Great. He likes to rush me when I pee with a personality of a bed bug.

All three of us were wearing normal clothes. I tracked King's gps a few streets over from us. I figured out he was on his way to Rachel's house. King was in charge of Christopher, Ron and Rachel's only son. It made me think of names for the babies.

"What would you name a kid? A boy for instance... I don't want anything too traditional. I always thought my name was a little boring." Slick was thinking.

"You could pick a family name?"

"No."

"Umm I'd name my son either after me or something cool. What will be the babies last name? Plum or Manoso or Plum-Manoso?" I didn't even think of that. I don't feel like a Plum myself right now so I can't imagine naming the babies that too but I wasn't sure Ranger wanted to use his last name for them. We would have to discuss that tonight.

"Let's go with Manoso right now."

"I'd want a son with a strong name. Jax, Axel, Maximus, Harvey, Rocco, Wilder, Maddox, Ranger Jr., Mateo, you can call him Teo for short... it's hard because your both unique in personality and ethnicity which gives you a lot of options to choose from. I couldn't see you using a sissy name though." It's true. I couldn't see us using something like Tank's name Pierre. I wrote them down and asked Hawk his opinion.

"Hunter, Luca, Wolf, Finn, Franco, Diesel or Danger for a middle name. The ladies would like that." I rolled my eyes.

"I don't want a name that will attract the ladies to my children. I'm already planning on beating the girls off with a stick if they look like Ranger... So far Mateo Manoso sounds decent but Luca is cute too. I already know Joe and Diesel are off the list." Ranger would have a cow over both and I didn't want to use a name of someone we knew. I wanted the babies to be their own person. I will have to ask Ranger if he wants to name one of the babies after him. I don't mind Carlos but Ricardo isn't my favorite. And if it's two boys I don't want one to feel unloved because he didn't get part of his father's name.

I noticed Ron get into his car with Christopher and Julie. They were dressed in jeans and t-shirts. King and Mace followed discreetly behind there car. We kept a good distance away and followed their trackers. We drove for an hour until we came to a shopping center.

I put on my baseball hat while Slick and Hawk put on sunglasses. We followed them around to different stores then King picked up on someone watching him. He would occasionally look around but couldn't see us. I was surprised he picked up on us at all since Mace and Scully didn't. It was a plus for my notes.

King followed Rangeman standards and protocol by lunch time I was tired of following him. I noticed Julie was a girly girl. She enjoyed makeup, purses, glitter and the color purple. She also spent a good portion of her day in a book store. After Julie left with a small bag of books I went inside to purchase a gift card for her birthday as well as a Vera Bradley purse and wallet to go with Ranger's gift.

I wrote up my report in the car then told Slick I needed meat loaf for lunch really bad. Since's Tank's date last night I couldn't get it out of my head. But I refused to get any gravy. I have nightmares about gravy thank's to Val.

We placed our order at the restaurant and started sipping our drinks.

"I want to look for the missing victim the rest of the day. I don't need to be out of the building so it's up to you if you want to help or take the day off. I don't mind if you want off." Slick shook his head.

"I'll work till dinner then see how I feel." Hawk just kept his eyes around the restaurant.

We were just finishing lunch when I had to go to the bathroom again. I took my time checking my messages but I didn't see anything new except from Royce who said the Doll's Eye's didn't come from the flower shop in Trenton. I was washing my hands when I heard my phone ring with Joe's ring tone. I decided to answer.

"Yo."

"Hey Steph. Do you have a few minutes to talk? I need a friend right now." He sounded weird I couldn't place it. Sad but not.

"Sure Joe what's up?"

"Ella isn't pregnant. I found out last night."

"Well that's good I think?"

"Yeah but at the same time I kinda wanted a baby too. I was researching things getting a little excited but I didn't want to marry Ella at all. I didn't realize how much I wanted a child until I found out Ella wasn't pregnant. I actually felt a little disappointed." I was at a loss what to say. He wanted a baby just not with Ella.

"You should date Joe. Find a woman you can stand long enough to have that family you want."

"I just feel like everything I wanted with you, your now having with Manoso... I wanted a baby with you. With your eyes and nose but hopefully my hair." He said it in a joking way but I could hear the sadness in his voice. I was also hoping the babies would have Ranger's hair too.

"Are you and them doing ok? I worry about you a lot. I don't see you to know if you are." I sighed.

"We're fine Joe. I think you need to take time and space from me for a while. It's not good for you to be like this. Thinking the way you are... If you want a woman to have a baby with then you need to grow up too. Stop the one night stand crap and actually date a woman without sleeping with her till your in a committed relationship."

"Cops don't make good husband's Steph." I rolled my eyes again.

"You were willing to marry me and have a baby with me while you were a cop. I know that's just an excuse now. She's out their Joe, you need to cut the crap and stop screwing anything that walks including Terri. Otherwise you may get a woman pregnant by mistake and be stuck with her for the rest of your life... I want to be your friend Joe but thinking about me so much isn't helping you move on. You shouldn't wait for me because it will never happen. Friendship only. And if you can't handle that then we should stop talking for a while."

"I hate this Steph."

"I know Joe. I'm sorry your hurting but I'm not sorry for what happened. I'm happy and I want you to find someone that makes you happy too... Have you asked Robbin out yet? She really likes you."

"I don't want to date at work."

"Ok well St. Francis has a bunch of single nurses. Try picking up a woman somewhere other then a bar. Your looking for quality now not quantity. " I heard him sigh. I rolled my eyes.

"Have your mother fix you up Joe if your that busy. I have to go. Maybe we can do lunch at Pino's or something in a few weeks." I heard the knocking on the bathroom door. We said our goodbye's. I checked myself in the mirror one last time then met Hawk outside the door. We were all walking back to our car when I noticed Reid Grey down the street with a small bag of food.

"Son of a bitch." I changed directions and started walking briskly after him. I grabbed my stun gun out of my bag as I followed him.

"This could be a trap again Steph." Both Hawk and Slick had their hands on there guns looking around at there surroundings, checking windows again for a sniper.

I increased my pace. Reid was almost to an alley when I stunned him from behind. Reid dropped like a sack of potatoes. Slick spoke up.

"It's too open here to question him. Let's take him back to a private room then we can release him later." Slick started dragging Reid's body into the alley and told Hawk to go get the car. Slick slapped some cuffs on him then checked him for weapons. Slick removed a gun and knife then his wallet, cell phone and keys.

Hawk parked the BMW in front of the alley so Slick could place him in the back seat, shackled to the floor. Slick then covered Reid's eye's with my scarf.

"I want to see inside his car before we take him back to Rangeman." Slick and Hawk had a silent conversation. Hawk stayed in the car to guard Reid. I walked around while Slick protected me with his body checking for Jeanne Ellen. I kept clicking the car alarm eventually finding it. It looked like one of my old pos cars.

I pulled on some gloves and started to search inside the vehicle after Slick checked it over looking for trip wires and explosives. It was disgusting and smelled of cigarettes. We searched every inch but all that was inside was trash and take out menus with a bag full of clothes. I locked the car back up.

Slick told me to sit in the front seat of the BMW, he didn't want me next to Reid in case he woke up bumping into my stomach. Any time Reid woke up, Slick would stun him again.

"Ranger is going to want to chat with him after your done regarding Jeanne Ellen." I just nodded while Slick passed me Reid's phone and wallet.

"Condoms, several credit cards not in his name, some cards for gambling, business cards for different bars and some girl's phone numbers. Twenty in cash." I removed the SIM card from his phone and copied it to view on my computer.

When we arrived at Rangeman, Slick asked me to turn off the camera's in every room we had to enter including the elevator. Slick carried Reid to the sub floor and shackled his hands and feet. Hawk stood outside as a guard.

I sat at the table pulling up information from his phone. I started running numbers into the database to find Jeanne Ellen's phone number. I also looked at his pictures on his phone. Most were dirty and held no interest for me. Reid started coming around. I placed my computer off to the side only keeping a pen and my legal pad.

I looked at Slick "You don't have to sit in. I can do this alone."

He shook his head."Your here, I'm here. I've already alerted the boss."

I removed my jacket and placed my stuff in the far corner of the room. I still had on my shoulder holster, hoping my gun would scare Reid enough to talk. I removed the scarf slowly. I would have to wash it a few times to make it clean again. Reid looked shocked to see me. I sat back into my chair across from him and picked up my pen.

"Your a shitty man Reid. What you did to your ex wife was bad... what you did to me will be painful for you unless you answer my questions honestly." I turned my head slightly to Slick. "My associate doesn't take kindly to liars and I will twist your balls clean off if you piss me off." I smiled at him.

"Now. Do you know if anyone was bothering Winnie other then yourself? Any new admirers? Anyone she dated that looked like this man?" I noticed he recognized the photo by a slight widening of his eyes.

"What do I get if I help you? My time doesn't come cheap." He seemed smug. I stood up and put my pen in my pony tail. I started walking around him in a circle slowly, my arms crossed.

"I enjoy TV a lot... lots of different shows but lately at night "_The Office_."

"Do you like _The Office_ Reid?" He nodded.

"I love the boss Micheal Scott, he makes the office fun and exciting with his actions. I think most office jobs are boring but I would work for Micheal Scott without a second thought." I stopped walking in circles in front of my chair then tilted my head to the side.

"How do you know this man in the picture and before you ask me what you get out of this, I will tell you what you won't get. I won't turn you into the police for the multiple stolen credit cards in your wallet and I won't tell the police I think your involved in Winnie's murder. I won't tell them your protecting her killer." I could tell he was surprised I looked in his wallet but scared I threatened police involvement.

"I don't even know the guy! I just saw him in a car once or twice near her building when I parked like a month before she went missing. I didn't kill anyone! I was just asking her for some money that day but she wouldn't give me a cent."

I leaned forward on the table towards him. "What-kind-of car-Reid?"

"I don't know... it was a blue sedan."

"Old, new, make, model, license plate state?"

"I think it was a Honda maybe a Civic. I don't know." I grabbed my laptop and started looking for images of a blue Honda Civic's.

"Tell me when you see a picture that matches?" I saw him swallow rough.

"I think the one on the right side two down."

"2012 Blue Honda Civic. What else? What was he wearing? Anything unusual about the car?"

"I don't know. I saw he was wearing a baseball hat that's all. That's the reason I noticed him."

"Where was his car parked exactly?"

"Down the street near the bakery. I looked for Winnie their first." Damn. I looked around for cameras there two days ago and there was none.

"Did Winnie have a big secret no one new about?" He averted his eyes like he was about to lie then said "no."

"Your lying."

"Prove it. Your a bitch just like her. When I get out of here I'm going to the cops to arrest your ass!" I sighed.

"Reid. Let me explain the law to you. You need proof and your record is nasty. No one will believe your word against mine... My favorite characters on _The Office_ are Jim and Dwight." I took a seat back in my chair and closed my laptop. "I like how they have this long standing prank war but end up as friends in the end. If you ever cared about Winnie you would tell me her secret... I'm looking to get her justice, just like Dwight and Jim did against Packard when they sent him to Florida... What you tell me stays with me. You have my word." I notice him relax again when I talked about the tv show.

Reid looked into my eyes for several minutes. "I had debts while we were married. I used her information once or twice and she got into some bad debt because of me... Winnie did some erotic modeling. Nothing of her face but her body to dig herself out. No one knew but her I guess. I discovered it when I went through her things when she went missing. I found invoices with cash inside envelopes. It seems she was still doing it on occasion to pay bills."

"Name of that company?" I started taking notes.

"_Erotic Passion in Miami_."

"Did you see anything else in her apartment? Love notes? Anything suspicious?" He said no. Something was bothering me. I went into my bag and grabbed Winnie's file. No mention of invoices found.

"Reid where did you find these invoices? Nothing came up when the police searched the apartment?"

"She had a floorboard that was loose. I knew she hid things in there from when we were married."

"So you took them and the cash inside? Was there anything else in that hiding spot?"

"No. If it wasn't worth anything to pawn I left it for the land lord to chuck." Classy guy.

"Is there anything else I should know about Winnie?" He just shook his head. I believed him.

"Good...Now we're going to talk about you setting me up a few nights ago." He looked pale and kept his eyes down.

"Tell me about Jeanne Ellen Burrows Reid."

RPOV

Les and I worked in my office most of the day until Tank called to alert me he was in the process of securing the land across from the house Babe had purchased. He was also in talks with the two neighbors about selling there homes to him. Tank had made an offer way above asking to move them out faster. I didn't care I just wanted it done. Tank needed me to contact Anderson to approve the money transfer for when the purchase went through. I was very pleased.

Tank told me he was interested in the house to the left and would purchase it myself. I liked that we could lock down the area and set up gates and fences for not just our safety but for the babies to run around outside without fear of a threat.

Tank told me how Babe requested he design most of the plans for our home but he also included Caesar. Once the full perimeter and security system was up and running I wanted each of my men to try and break in to see any weakness we may have over looked. I would give a bonus to any of them that found one. When it came to my family I wasn't going to spare any expense. I even wanted several back up generator's for any loss of power and have emergency supplies in the third home to survive for months without leaving if necessary. As Babe would say you never know when the zombies will attack but I was more concerned about a threat from my past.

I was a little surprised Tank wanted to purchase the other house next door since he seemed to love his Rangeman rental. I didn't realize he was getting serious with a woman. I just thought last night was a first date? When I questioned his move he told me he wanted to settle down one day but for right now he needed more space for him and his cats. I could tell he was in a good mood from last night but as promised I didn't question further although I needed to look into this woman. If Tank was serious about her and planned to live with her eventually then I needed to know who would be around my family in the safety of this compound I was building.

I asked Tank if he was making any adjustments to his new home and he told me he planned to use our military contractor that worked on Rangeman to overhaul it completely. He mentioned reinforcing all three houses for blast impacts and using military grad building supplies for the gates and fencing. The security measures would cost more then the properties but I didn't care. I needed to know that if anything happened to me one day Babe would be protected.

I thought for a while about Tank being my neighbor and it grew on me. He would watch not just my back but Babe's as well. Tank felt it would be several months before we could move in but our house would be the first to make the changes then Tank's. The last house which will be used as a security and monitoring station would need the most work. Tank told me he was planning on hiring some temporary contract workers in the coming months to watch the monitors while the men we trusted watched the crew work on the compound. I would never use that word with Babe though. She doesn't like feeling trapped. I told Tank I would approve the money with Anderson after we got off the phone.

After lunch I saw a text from Slick that told me he was in a private room with Babe downstairs. I pulled up the monitors and over rode her fob so only I could view the room. Santos looked over my shoulder.

"Is your woman going to kick him around? She's pregnant. I don't think that's a good idea." I gave him a brief look like he was an idiot. I grabbed my keys making my way down to the sub floor. Babe was in the integration room so Santos and I watched from behind the one way mirror.

Slick positioned himself close by as her muscle but also her protection. I didn't want to interrupt the situation. Babe was building her confidence right now and needed to practice her skills. Santos and I both sat in our chairs watching the show.

"She's good Cuz. She hasn't had the need to hit him yet... _The Office_ though?"

I felt a lot of pride watching her. She took what I taught her and made it her own. I smirked "Steph wanted to learn non physical interrogation techniques. She feels uncomfortable hitting someone tied up from her own experience. She is trying to get him to relax but also maintain communication... last time she choose _Shark Week_." Santos started chuckling and shaking his head.

"Physical's faster... she's an adorable spitfire. That little head tilt was cute." I glared at him. I felt my possessiveness come out. I didn't like men noticing Babe's quirks not even Santos.

"Does she have a sister?"

"Her sister's a pregnant Meg Ryan look alike with a bunch of kids." Santos crinkled his face in disgust.

When we heard Babe asked about Jeanne Ellen we both learned forward to read Reid's movements, looking for deception. I'd let Babe question him for a while then I would ask my own. I was undecided of his fate. The last time Steph kidnapped someone I returned him to the system knowing he couldn't harm her in the future. I still had to figure out if Reid was a threat to my woman.


	45. Chapter 45

Note: I just found out Tricky Twenty-Two will be out November 17th! I'm hoping Steph and Ranger get more time together this time around. I hope she grows eventually in the story or Ranger steps up.

SPOV

"Good...Now we're going to talk about you setting me up a few nights ago." He looked pale and kept his eyes down.

"Tell me about Jeanne Ellen Burrows Reid." He just keeps looking at his hands. I was reading shame on his face which confused me. He didn't have any shame when he talked about doing those horrible things to his ex wife or me finding the stolen credit cards in his wallet?

"Words Reid. I'm not a mind reader although I would love that superpower." Among flying and being psychic.

"I didn't know you were pregnant when I took the job... I'm not a great guy but I do have a line I don't cross."

I held my breath a little. I thought I was covering it well with jackets and baggy shirts. I even check myself every morning before I leave for my bump showing. I only notice it's obvious in tight dresses from the side view.

"What makes you think I am?"

"I saw you briefly touch your stomach when you sat down a minute ago. And you look ten pounds heavier then the picture I saw of you before." I rolled my eyes and decided to lie.

"I have a stomach ache from my meat loaf at lunch and I haven't been to the gym lately. But thanks for calling me fat." He had wide eyes now. No matter what, men always freak out when you say that to them.

"No no your not fat. I meant your..."

I raised my hand to stop him. "Shut up! Start from the beginning about Jeanne Ellen. You've already insulted my weight, I suggest you don't lie too."

"She called me like a month ago investigating someone else's murder, Vickie I think?"

"Violet?"

"Yeah her. She asked me a bunch of questions about Winnie's habit's and hobbies. She also told me if any other private investigator called I should ignore them and let her know. She was willing to pay for my call. Eventually you did so I let her know then she called me a few days later and said you were in town. She asked me to make my whereabouts known publicly at that bar and left me $1000 with your picture under a park bench for me. All I had to do was get you to that parking lot alone."

"Why did you scream cop?"

"To many witnesses. I didn't expect those gang guys to give you grief... I was just trying to clear the area."

"What was her plan for me Reid? Was she working with anyone else?"

He shook his head. "I honestly don't know. She just called you an annoying bitch." He held up his hands "Her words."

I pulled out his phone. "Which one was her number?" He scrolled through and I wrote it down.

"Did you tell her anything about that man in the baseball hat?"

"No she didn't ask."

"Have you talked to her since that night?" He shook his head no.

"Is their anything I didn't ask you that you should have told me about her?" He just shook his head. I really had to go to the bathroom so I looked at Slick and tilted my head to the door. He grabbed my things from the corner of the room as I stood up.

"Where are you going? You can't just leave me here I told you what you wanted!" He looked panicked now.

"Taking a break. I'll be back soon." I got out of the door and made a beeline for the bathroom. I didn't even knock first just went right in.

RPOV

Hearing Babe was coming back to see Reid meant I couldn't lay a hand on him. I didn't want her upset by my techniques or seeing that side of me. I'm glad she lied about being pregnant. I didn't want word spreading anytime soon for her own safety. Only immediate family and friends knew as well as my men at Rangeman. I wanted it locked down for as long as possible. Once she started showing and word got out, she would be an even bigger target then before. People would see her condition as a weakness.

My family knows who to tell by now and Rachel was the only wild card besides Connie and Lula but I have my men monitoring them. I bugged Lula and Connie's home, car and work so if they spilled the beans on Babe they would get an unpleasant visit from me. Tank told Grandma Mazur to keep a close eye on her mother and I heard Babe's father was pleased. I'm still undecided if I should ask Frank for his blessing to marry Babe.

The day after my return to Trenton I needed to visit the Plum's to lay down the new law when it comes to the treatment of her. She didn't need the stress and I didn't want her mother belittling or harping on everything especially her decisions. Steph needs to develop her own motherly instincts instead of second guessing herself. I noticed when Steph is away from the Burg environment her insecurities are minimal. She still get's a few but they are far less frequent then a year ago.

I entered the interrogation room that Reid was being held in with Santos on my heels. He stationed himself by the door playing with his knife nonchalantly.

"Do you know who I am?"

"R-aa-nn-gg-er" He stuttered in fear and started shaking.

"I want you to alert me if Jeanne Ellen ever calls you again. I want you to forget all about Stephanie and what happened today. If I find out you ever speak her name to anyone... I will find you." I walked up to him and squeezed his shoulder painfully.

"Do you understand?" He just nodded.

I exited the room and told Hawk to return him to the streets when Stephanie was done with him. I heard her walking from behind me. Silent and stealth weren't her strong suit.

"Do you need to talk to him now?"

"Already did. Let's go to my office to check the number he gave you. Hawk will return him to the streets." I placed my hand on her lower back guiding her to the elevator. Santos, Babe and I sat in my office, she seemed unusually quiet. I dialed the number Babe received from Reid on speaker phone, disconnected already. I called Silvio to run this number but I suspected it to be a burner phone. Santos picked up on Steph's quiet nature too and opened his trap.

"Your not fat Beautiful, your pregnant... Reid's a loser. You shouldn't listen to him." I'm glad for once Santos was in the room because that wasn't my first guess at all. I thought she was upset about Jeanne Ellen or worried Reid would go to the police about her kidnapping him.

She glared at him "Why do men always say that? Your not fat your pregnant. It's just a different type of fat. Is that what you mean to say?" Santos looked like a fish out of water and now I was really glad I didn't say anything. Better she was pissed at him then me. Santos was looking at me for help but I wasn't getting involved.

SPOV

"Beautiful... you work out, you mostly eat healthy and your carrying twins. Your a lot smaller then all of my sisters when they were pregnant and you need to remind yourself you will have two little ones in a few months... Once you deliver then you can work out and diet getting back to your normal weight in no time. And that guy will help you." He pointed to Ranger who gave me a smirk. Ranger pulled his chair out from his desk like he wanted me to sit on his lap. Santos gave us a few minutes alone so I went to him.

"I'm not mad at Les... I'm just a little emotional and still getting use to my body changing. I'm not upset. I was just thrown off by Reid's comment. I've never been this shallow about my body before but I've never been this heavy either. I'm not use to it yet." Ranger kissed my nose.

"The Doctor said your gaining the right amount of weight and I don't want you worrying about your body Babe. I love the changes." Ranger was playing with my hair a little while kissing my neck. He used his other hand to raise my shirt and lightly stroke my tummy.

"Your not overweight. Your weight has increased because of the placenta and amniotic fluid as well as having more blood flowing through your body. I'm proud of how healthy your eating but it's ok to splurge once in a while, I never expected you to eat like me completely especially while pregnant but I hope one day you do so we can have a long life together.

Your work out routine is safe for you but you can add in an extra day of cardio or more swimming it if makes you feel better. I don't want you to push yourself too hard, you will end up on bed rest." I really didn't want to be on bed rest again. Ranger moved my legs so I could straddle his thighs.

"Knowing your carry my babies is the best gift you will ever give me... It's hard keeping my hands off of you." Ranger was now kissing my neck and moving his hands to my hips. He slipped my shirt off and used his mouth to lower my bra cups exposing my nipples, sucking on them.

"So beautiful Babe." He started taking my pants off and unzipping his. It was fast and furious, both of us giving as much as taking.

I was putting my clothes back on while Ranger watched with a satisfied smile. I had a feeling we would have gone another round if he didn't have a meeting in ten minutes.

"I have a few leads I need to run. The missing girl and now the stalker's car. I'll see you at 7:30 for movie night." I kissed him one last time then went for the door and realized it wasn't locked at all. I closed it immediately and turned to him, his smile grew.

"No one would have entered without knocking or I would have fired them." I just groaned and left for the War room.

I started looking at the missing women from New Jersey. I messaged Royce my lead on the blue Honda Civic for him to run DMV records. I had a feeling he would find it faster then me. If I didn't hear from him by tomorrow I would run my own search then.

I pulled up one of Rangeman map programs and slowly added in each address of the missing women then searched for areas within ten miles for the killer to hide a body. Slick came in eventually to help me run the women's names and we jointly complied a list. It was almost 6 pm when we narrowed it down to five names. My list included women from Medford, Tabernacle, West Windsor, Yardville and Bridgeton. All of these women fit the time period, age and criteria the killer would be interested in as well as being near a location that had a secluded area within ten miles of there homes. I started running general background checks on each woman then printed my results.

Kate Westmoreland, 31 lived in Medford. She walked to work Thursday through Sunday for her job right on Main Street in town. It was the same road her apartment was on. She worked part time at an antique store and wasn't discovered missing until she didn't show up for work on her scheduled days to open the store. The owner called her for two days then reported her missing. Her boss Lisa said it was very unlike her and she loved to work at the store. Her apartment was on the top floor of an insurance business. Her body could have been easily hidden in the Medford Lakes area or the Pine Barrens.

I personally hated the Pine Barrens. Last time I took a trip there Lula and I got lost in the woods and Ranger had to come get us. We were wet and cold and Lula was paranoid something was after us. Wilderness was not in my skill set. I never once went camping as a kid and I wasn't a girl scout. I enjoyed the beach more. I also had a fear of being in the woods while I had my period because I heard bears would be attracted to me. I really didn't want to take any chances.

Mirian Gann, 33 lived in Tabernacle and worked from home for her website design business. Her neighbor reported her missing when the mail didn't fit inside the mailbox anymore and piled up. Mirian rarely took vacations and enjoyed being home. The neighbor thought her missing was suspicious. She lived near a large forest too.

Lizzie Tyson, 29 lived in West Windsor as a home health aid. She was reported missing by her client to her employer but they didn't report it to the police. Her boyfriend Doug reported her missing when she didn't return his calls after several days. His statement said he worked long hours for a company that fills atms and transports money so he wasn't concerned right away when he didn't hear from her but then grew worried and noticed her car in the drive way and purse still at home but no sight of her. I would have to check near Mercer County park as a possible area for her body but also a large field right by her home.

Dalia Cooney, 34, lived in Yardville but was unemployed. She divorced a few months before and was living off the division of assets from her husband who was a dermatologist. She was reported missing by her friend after missing her weekly lunch with her after checking her home first. Yardville was a small town but I found a small patch of woods within 3 miles of her home. I was doubtful she was the missing victim... I just didn't get a strong feeling about the area or her.

Veta Baylor 28, lived in Bridgeton. I looked on the map and noticed a large construction area and a isolated field near her house. Veta was a dog walker and groomer. He clients called to complain she didn't pick up there pets and after a week one of them called the police to look in on her. Police investigated and couldn't find any trace. She had an ex boyfriend with a restraining order against him for domestic violence... The police are still investigating his whereabouts but he was a suspect at this time.

"If I wanted to take a field trip to look for a body how would I do that? I can't give Royce all of these places to search... It would cost too much and I know Trenton can't afford it. They barely have toilet paper at the PD."

"We can look for disturbances in the wild life and soil, things that look out of place. Use a gps to stay within the ten miles of the address... If we found something we could _borrow _a GPR, Ground Penetrating Radar. It's used on rock, soil and concrete to look for bodies and weapons in the ground. Or we could _borrow_ a cadaver dog. They use air scenting I think but we will definitely need a handler to make it easier. It may cost you."

"I'll research a few methods and call Morelli since he worked Homicide..." I bit my lip. "I'm going to be honest I'm not great in nature, it's not just the bugs or wild life, my sense of direction is horrible. You have experience right?"

Slick smiled and laughed at me "Courtesy of the United States Army and I was a boy scout. I think we will be ok." I heard a knock at the door and Les poked his head in.

"You ready? We need to pick up the food on the way home." I gave him a big smile.

"Thanks for your help today. I will see you tomorrow." Les took my bag from me and carried it to the garage.

"Les... I'm sorry about earlier I didn't mean..." He put his arm around my shoulders.

"Don't worry about it beautiful. I know you didn't mean anything by it. I'm excited for our relaxing night. The boss man is a workaholic. I wouldn't be surprised if he types all night on his computer while we watch the movie but your good for him you know. In the past he would just be in his office most nights, rarely went out with me or Tank." Les lowered his voice to a whisper "Maybe if were lucky we will see him live dangerously by eating more then two slices of pizza instead of protecting his girlish figure." Les winked at me and helped me into the car. I saw Ranger come from the stairs and get into the driver's seat. I never noticed how much he prefers to drive instead of being driven before.

As I was looking out the window listening to classical music, I forget to tell Les about my day "Les your theory may have worked for me. I'm down to five women on my missing person's list."

"How's your wilderness experience? I'm guessing they aren't the best places to walk around."

I started laughing "I'm better then Lula but not the best at navigating. Slick told me it wouldn't be an issue for him but I hate snakes. The first sign of one and I'm out. I need to research bears too."

Les turned to me with a big smile "Did Ranger ever tell you the story of when we were in a third world country and he went to the bathroom about to take a leak when we saw this big black snake inside the toilet and jumped back almost knocking me over? The snake got this close to biting him." It was only a few inches by his finger placement. I was laughing but horrified. I'd never use another public restroom again if that happened to me. Les was hysterically laughing now. I felt their must have been more to that story and he gave me the edited version. "Could you imagine if it had to show someone that injury on his penis?" He wiped his eyes "Anyway for like a month straight he always had a gun in his hand when he had to take a leak anywhere we went even in the jungle."

Ranger looked annoyed. "Keep it up chuckles. We can talk all about that tree frog that jumped on your face that you swore was poisonous making you scream like a little girl and flail about." Ranger pulled up to the restaurant letting Les get out to grab our take out. I unbuckled myself and kissed Ranger's neck.

"I enjoy these stories. I didn't realize you had a fear of snakes."

"I'm not afraid. I was surprised." Ranger kissed my lips playfully. Les carried the food back to the car. It was enough to feed us and an army. We made it home and set up the coffee table with plates, napkins and drinks. We watched a few comedy specials then _The Wolf of Wall Street_. I didn't love that movie so we started watching the first season of _House of Cards. W_e were all hooked even Ranger who put his computer down for a while so we could snuggle together under the blanket. I felt my personal cell vibrate and saw it was Royce.

_Dollface the car you told me about is one of the best selling cars in the country, it will take some time. Let's have dinner tomorrow to talk._

I wrote him back. _Still sick with the flu. I will call you tomorrow morning, I have some leads on the missing victim. Let me know if a girl goes missing asap that matches the profile._

I turned back to Ranger. "I've been meaning to ask you how are Amanda and Kinsey since they eloped? How was the honeymoon in Paris?"

"Good." I stared at him until he elaborated. "They are trying for a baby the last few months and both guessed we would end up together eventually. We don't speak often just on occasion."

I smiled at him. "Amanda said the same thing to me. Do you have any other best friends I haven't met?"

He shook his head "Kinsey was a good friend but not a best friend. I was the leader in our unit so we were close... I know a lot of people but you've met the important ones already." Did that mean his family too? He was still so mysterious about them. I didn't want to push him since he told me one day we would talk about it.

"I've been thinking about the babies last name, I want Manoso but if it's not possible for security reason's I guess I could use Plum." Ranger looked at me.

"It doesn't matter but I'd prefer Manoso. It makes things easier for support and I've already developed a background for Ricardo Manoso different from mine so if anyone looks into him it won't lead back to me. It's also the name I was going to use on their birth certificates."

"Do you want to name the baby after yourself if one or both are boys?" He just shook his head. "I wouldn't want my son to live in my shadow. I want him to be his own person."

Lester spoke up "You should name the baby Lester after me!" I started laughing then grabbed my legal pad and started reading off the list of baby names. Both Ranger and Les made faces at some of them.

"I didn't want anything too traditional or after anyone on my side of the family, these aren't my top choices just some ideas."

"Mateo is ok... the others I don't know. Where did you hear these names from Babe?"

I smiled at him "Slick and Hawk."

Ranger frowned. "Ella bought us each a baby name book, we can look through it once we know the gender. It might be a girl and boy or two girls."

I told Les the story of the seer and he told me he doesn't mess with that voodoo either because Les he got this horrible rash once from a curse. Ranger said it wasn't from the curse but his frequent bed hopping.

Les rolled his eyes at Ranger. "Speaking of Ella, Marisol was bugging me today about you using the belly butter and belly buds. Have you tried them?"

"Yeah the butter because I don't want any stretch marks, it's good. And the buds no. Let me grab them now." I ran to the bedroom grabbing them from my basket. I had to buy her a little something with a thank you card before we left.

"The directions say to plug it into a phone or mp3 player and the buds stick to my stomach by an adhesive. I can play music or someone's voice for the babies to listen too." Les looked excited and started recording his voice on my phone.

When he was done I started a play list with music I liked as well as Les's recording and left it on my tummy. While I added a little bit of everything except country, Ranger took the phone from me eventually adding classical music and different Latin beats. I'm curious if he will make a recording too. I'd listen to it just for me when he had to go into the wind.

"I have a great idea for you two love birds, you should share one baby name book and each go through it, cross out the names you hate or people you know and see what's left." It was a decent idea and I had a feeling we may do that.

I turned to Ranger and whispered "Have you heard from Rachel yet?"

"No. I think she's avoiding me until the party."

Les spoke up again "Who will be the god parents?" Ranger stiffened next to me. I smiled at him.

"I don't know Les we haven't discussed it. Are you interested in the position?"

Les's eyes widened "Hell no. I'm fine as an uncle. I don't do diapers at all. Only leave them to me if they are teenager's and both boys." Ranger relaxed and I giggled. "I'm coming down when they are born. I already bought the funniest gift for you on that special day and I found these small outfits you will love. Baby stuff is cute now, years ago it was horrible and stuffy."

"That's sweet of you thank you."

"Now Beautiful, tell me how you found out you were pregnant. Did Ranger faint?" Ranger glared at him.

"I went to the doctor for something else and we discovered it. We both took it really well."Ranger in shock and me hyperventilating to the point I passed out. It could have been worse now that I think about it.

"Your lying Beautiful. You made a weird face." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"That's my story and were sticking too it."

"I heard if a woman has a lot of heart burn while pregnant, a hairy baby comes out? You may have a Chewbacca inside of you right now."

"What!"

Ranger squeezed me tight to his side. "That's a myth. Don't tell her things like that." He said something in Spanish to him, I think it was a bad name. I need to start listening to those Cd's the day I get back to Trenton.

"When will it move or kick?" We both looked to Ranger. I was really behind on my pregnancy reading as well as my reading for Walker but Ranger was a know it all. I even noticed guides just for father's hidden in his desk back at home. I thought it was really sweet.

"Anytime now between 16-22 weeks." I started yawning so Ranger said it was time for bed.

We went into the bathroom together, brushing our teeth while I removed my makeup. I looked at my stomach in the mirror.

"I'm not going to be able to hide much longer maybe a few weeks. Luckily it's still winter in Jersey but eventually I'm going to show... I'm planning to stay out of big gossip areas and not eat out as much but people are going to talk about me eventually when I'm further along. I was planning to not tell anyone who the father is when I'm asked. I just wanted to warn you now not because I'm embarrassed or anything, I just want to keep us safe." I touched my belly. "Not a lot of people know were together anyway, I thought it would be best... The important people know."

Ranger kissed my tummy then helped me lotion my stomach and arms. "I agree it's the smart move, when they are born I'd prefer to keep them out of busy areas for their own safety too... I noticed your still avoiding your mother. I plan on talking to her when we go back home, let her know were together and I'm not going anywhere but she needs to back off you. You have enough stress already, I don't want you having more. We have a doctor's appointment coming up soon." I nodded as I lotioned the rest of my body.

"I bought Julie a birthday gift today to go with yours. What did Ella buy her?"

"I think an Ipad with a case. You didn't have to buy anything for her."

"I know but I wanted too. It will go good with your gift and I'll package it all together."

Ranger and I went to bed. I fell asleep on his chest while his fingers grazed along my back. We awoke a few hours later to the house alarm going off.


	46. Chapter 46

RPOV

As soon as I heard the alarm panel blaring I grabbed my gun off the night stand and covered Babe with my body searching the room for an intruder. I pulled the blankets off and grabbed my pants and weapons belt from the floor. Babe was looking around confused with one eye open... We would need to run drills at our home in the future. She should be out of bed with a gun in her hand moving to a safe location by now.

I whispered "Get your gun and lock yourself in the bathroom. Do not open it for anyone except me or Santos." Babe hesitated like she was going to argue. I heard my phone vibrating. Santos.

I whispered forcefully "Now Babe!" She grabbed her gun out of the night stand then ran to the bathroom naked. As soon as I heard the lock click I moved for our bedroom door. I checked the hall but it was clear. I locked her inside the bedroom then picked up my phone.

"Five guys all sides. Backup is 10 minutes out. I got front, you take back. House hasn't been breached, only front and back walls." Santos silenced the alarm as I made my way to the back door, quietly standing on the side with my knife out. I looked at the idiots trying to break in. Dressed in black with ski masks, no weapons out, just bags on there shoulders.

One was trying to pick the lock while the other was trying to pop a hole in the bullet resistant glass to open the door. I saw two intruders which meant Santos had three up front. I waited on the side of the door to disable them. When the door clicked open, the panel went off with a breach at this door. I turned my knife around to the butt and knocked the intruder out with a blow to his head. I pulled the second guy into the house and pushed his head into the wall placing my blade at his throat.

"How many with you? And who do you work for?"

"Six. Franco." I knocked him out then secured both men with the hand cuffs from my belt. Neither had weapons on them other then a pocket knife? I didn't know any Franco but that didn't mean one of my enemies didn't hire them. Santos saw five he said.

I secured the door again and reset the panel. I moved to the monitors and noticed Santos had beaten up two intruders badly by the front door then secured them. I checked for other breaches but only the two doors so far. I saw Santos in his boxers moving around the outside perimeter with his gun. Something didn't feel right. They weren't military or in shape and barely armed.

I started searching different camera angles when I saw a ladder against the second floor window. I ran upstairs with my gun in one had and my knife in the other. I saw the masked intruder trying to cut a hole in the glass. I kept in the shadows and silently made it to the side of the window. I purposely unlocked it then shoved the man off the roof with one hand. He screamed until he hit the ground.

Santos came around the corner securing him. Another alarm on the panel went off when I opened the window. I made the symbol for one more intruder and he nodded. I heard the panel chime that a car entered from the gate and knew our back up had arrived. I secured the window then checked the second floor again. Our bedroom was still locked. I moved downstairs checking for other breaches but saw Santos coming back through the front door with Shea and Mike. The lights were being turned on downstairs and disabled men collected by my employees.

"I didn't see him outside."

"I checked the house except for the garage."

"Let's grab Steph and get her into the car. We need to search and interrogate in private." I could feel the rage coming from Santos. He didn't like his home being invaded.

"Control told me Slick's a few minutes behind them." We heard the gate chime open again so we made our way up the stairs together into the dark hall. I didn't want any lights on making it easier to take a shot at her. I quickly picked the lock and searched the room again.

"Babe it's me. Don't shoot. Come out." Santos was covering the hall so I could dress her. Babe came out with her gun half raised covering her body by a towel. Hair wild and crazy how I liked it. I pulled out of a pair of my sweats and t-shirt to cover her.

Babe noticed the blood on my chest from the moon light and ran over to check me.

"Are you hurt? There's blood on you." Most women would freak out over a home invasion or be scared I was covered in someone else's blood but Babe was more worried I was hurt. If I didn't have one intruder left to find I would have kissed her.

"Not mine. One intruder left, dress now, Slick is taking you away." Babe let go the breath she was holding as soon as I told her it wasn't my blood. Steph tried to ask more questions but I started helping her put the clothes on and cut her off.

"Later. You have one minute before I carry you out myself."

I grabbed the bullet proof vest from my closet and strapped her into it. I wasn't sure what was going on but I wasn't going to take the chance that this was a setup to take a shot at her. Les led point while I covered the rear. We kept her tightly between us until we got down the stairs. I saw the BMW waiting near the front door. We both looked for potential dangers then Les and I kept her between us and tried to move her quickly to the car but almost stumbled from the pant legs being too long. I had to catch her from behind so Santos stopped short to cover her from a sniper.

Jeanne Ellen had certain skills and I didn't want to take the chance she set this distraction up. I knew Babe would be safe with Slick and have a shadow on there tail to get her safely to Rangeman. As soon as she got into the back set Slick took off.

"I want the house turned upside down now."

"Shea is guarding the intruders in the dinning room." I made my way there. There masks were all removed and I still didn't recognize any of them. Two were still knocked out and the one I pushed off the roof had a broken leg and arm, practically crying. The one I hit with my knife was complaining about his head.

"Where is the last man on your team?" No one responded. I grabbed the man's broken arm and twisted it more.

"No Please! We were in teams of two! He went on the roof to check for another window!" I opened my phone and told Mike to get him off the roof. I twisted his arm again.

"What are you doing here? Who is your boss?"

"We were suppose to rob the place then mess it up! No one was suppose to be home!"

"To steal what?" Mike returned with the last intruder who looked like he tripped a lot to get to this party.

"Art, Faberge Eggs, antique weapons." I raised a questioning eyebrow at Santos. He didn't collect any of that stuff, he only had a safe with money hidden. His expression grew darker.

"I have none of those things. My most expensive item I own are my cars and and that flat screen in the living room." Santos was pissed now and started twisting the other man's arm.

"Who told you this?"

"I don't know! Franco's in charge!" Of course the one I knocked out. Santos and I placed our guests into chair's then tied them up. I ordered Shea and Mike to secure the home and replace any damaged doors and windows. We already had blood on the carpet and floor I didn't want them in the room for the questioning too. Santos was already wound up and I knew I'd have to pull him off before he killed them to get some answers.

SPOV

I stood in the bathroom for the longest time hearing nothing but the panel sounding then being silenced. I almost walked out several times to see what was going on when I heard Ranger's voice telling me to come out. I was annoyed and tired. I had to leave because someone was still around? I wanted to fight to stay but Ranger was in charge right now not Carlos getting me to Slick.

"What's going on exactly? Is this about Jeanne Ellen?"

"I don't know. All I know was six men entered the perimeter and sent off the motion sensors triggering the alarm and control room." I was still half asleep and noticed it wasn't even 4 am yet. I assumed we were going to Rangeman.

"Sorry you were called."

He shrugged his shoulders "I was getting up in an hour anyway to work out." I groaned.

"You are all freaks. It's the middle of the night!"

"What's your plan?"

"I don't know. I don't have my keys and the control room can only activate the elevator but can't get me into the penthouse. Les is with Ranger and Marisol is still on vacation. I guess I'll sleep in the War room on the couch... I was thinking a cell but I don't want to get trapped by accident."

"I'd offer you my apartment but Ranger wouldn't like that. I'll get you a pillow and blanket from the apartment floor linen closet."

"Thanks." Slick parked us in one of Ranger's spots and fob me into the War room. Slick brought me items to help me sleep and I was out like a light.

I don't know how long I was out but I smelled something crisp and clean with a hint of spice standing over me. I opened one eye and saw a man's face covered in bruises with a few tear drop tattoo's near his eye.

I screamed and swung my leg out to kick him causing him to fall down. I start running out of the room towards the elevator when the doors opened to Ranger and Les.

"Whoa beautiful where's the fire?" I couldn't even answer I was bent over out of breath and shaking. Ranger and Les pulled me into the elevator to go up to the penthouse. Ranger was pushing my hair out of my face and rubbing my back.

"I saw a guy standing over me, tear drop tattoos so I kicked him. Scared the shit out of me!"

Les started laughing "That was Pablo. He was suppose to wake you and get you into the elevator to meet us. Your stuff is now upstairs."

I groaned "He's going to kill me now! I didn't know he worked here. He scared me."

"He's new. It's fine I'll talk to him Steph." Les took out his phone and started texting.

I rubbed my hands over my face. I grabbed Ranger's wrist to look at his watch. Ranger placed his hand on my lower back.

"So what happened?"

"Santos slept with the wrong woman and her husband told some people he had a ton of valuables to steal as well as his address. The intruders were told he was out of town and once they were done to destroy what was left."

I snorted "Idiots. They picked the wrong house with you two home and then ignored the Rangeman sign by the gate. They deserved the ass kicking out of pure stupidity... So not Jeanne Ellen?"

"No."

I looked at Les "Do you remember the woman?" Les smiled.

"Sort off. She had this tattoo along the entire right side of her body, flowers and fairies and did this thing on her ottoman..."

"Santos." Ranger glared at him but it was more then just his story, he was pissed about something else he did.

"So we're staying here now?"

"Yes. Who knows who else he's slept with. I don't want to take a chance with your safety."

Les looked sad then slammed his blank face into place. I could tell Ranger's words deeply hurt him. I tried to say something to make it better.

"No worries Les. Ranger hated my apartment too. It could have happened to anyone, I should know it happens to me a lot."

Les nodded and stayed in the elevator going back down to five. Ranger and I went to the bathroom to shower together.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him, it really could have happened to anyone. He may not have even known she was married."

He shook his head "He probably didn't ask or care Babe... I'm annoyed because you were put in danger and it could have been much worse. I'm mad at myself because we should have stayed at Rangeman in the first place like my instincts told me but Santos annoyed me into staying at his place to get to know you better and said you would be more comfortable."

"I did like it there. It was nice."

Ranger shook his head "maybe in the future but right now we will stay at Rangeman for the rest of our trip." Ranger kissed my forehead then tummy. He told me he had to get back to work but to call him for issues.

I got dressed and made my way back to the War room. I pulled out my cell and called Morelli.

"Hey Cup...Steph. What's up?"

"I may have a lead on the missing victim but I may need a cadaver dog. Does homicide have one around somewhere I can borrow for a day?"

Morelli started laughing at me. "We have to buy our own body armorer and bring our own sugar packets from home for our coffee... no they don't just hang around here. Give me the addresses and I'll check them myself. I wouldn't hold my breath for a dog, there expensive and mostly out of our budget. Even the Fed's only use them on certain cases. Occasionally organizations volunteer time but they come to us when they do.

"Just give me the number Joe."

"Steph seriously you can't afford it. I know your trying to be an investigator but you don't have any training. Your the luckiest person I know but that doesn't mean you can just find a body or a killer. Let the police handle this." I took a few deep breaths so I wouldn't start screaming. Joe wasn't worth it anymore. No matter what I said it wouldn't change his low opinion of me.

"The-number-Joe." I said through clenched teeth.

He sighed and gave it to me. I wrote it on my legal pad to call next. I was going to hang up but my Italian temper got the best of me.

"You know Joe. The reason I could never be with you is because your always telling me what I can't do! You never believed in me! Never once told me you were proud of me. Not once! You think your so amazing but I caught you when you went FTA and I also cleared your ass of murder charges! I'm not even going to mention the other cases I solved for that helped you get promoted! Your scum Morelli." I hung up on him. He tried to call me back but I sent it to voice mail. He could apologize a hundred times and mean it but it still wouldn't change is opinion of me in his heart.

In the past I was a screw up but I did help solve many of his cases that stumped him and that Fed Bunchy. And right now I'm the only one making progress on this case while they debate lunch orders most of the day. He was such an ass.

I grabbed a water from the mini fridge and called the handler of the cadaver dog. Trent Monroe from Ewing, New Jersey. I called Trent and introduced myself then explained my case.

"I'm willing to help Stephanie but my services don't come cheap...I'm willing to offer a trade in services. My partner and I also run a successful obedience training program for dogs but we received some bad reviews recently and not from our clients. We don't know why or by who. Some of our breeders have also stopped supplying us with dogs to train that we also pair with owners and wouldn't give us a reason. I want you to investigate a former employee we fired. I think she may be involved and I want proof. We take great pride in our business and I'm worried it will suffer in the coming months."

"I'll look into it. Send me all the information you have to my email including the reviews and records on your ex employee... Now can you explain to me this whole process?"

"Of course. Dogs can be trained to do many things, help many people. Your probably familiar with service dogs that help the blind but dogs can also be trained for the elderly, people with Dementia, Autism, psychological needs as well as for police departments in the K-9 units and narcotic units. They can also located missing people and bodies by there sense of smell.

I myself have a German Shepard and a Golden Retriever. They are trained extensively to to find not just cadavers but human remains and hidden weapons. As a person decays they produce a distinct odor allowing these dogs to smell it under ground, in concrete or the bottom of a body of water. Using these faint traces dogs can smell not just flesh but dry bone. Nine out of ten times a search comes back empty due to many factors. Sometimes handlers choose the wrong dog for the job or their own lack of knowledge. My dogs are driven, focused and will sit or lay down when they find remains to preserve the crime scene.

Despite the killers type of concealment, dogs can tell the difference between human and animal remains based on the odor. Most people in this field aren't successful because police forces can't afford a HRD unit. That means a Human Remains Detection Unit, they rather spend money on narcotics and K-9 units when cadaver dogs can find more bodies then any homicide detective.

I've studied Forensics and Human Anatomy in college and have knowledge on the rates of decomposition based on the killer's disposal method. I narrow searches down for my dogs by looking at the soil, plants and insect populations."

"You said you also have an obedience school. Did you train a shaggy lab mix named Bob? Brought in by a Joe Morelli?"

"No. Doesn't sound familiar." I felt a little better now. I wouldn't have had much faith in Trent if he had since Bob failed obedience school four times already.

"I feel a little stupid asking this but I'm not familiar with service dogs for psychological needs. What do they do?"

"Deep pressure therapy for anxiety, they can remind the handler to take medications or bring them to you in a bag they can carry, using blocking techniques to create a buffer when people get to close to there handler, search the home if a person is paranoid, interrupt and redirect there handler if they are hallucinating, some can call 911 and open doors for emergency personnel by placing straps on the door they can pull. Others can help a person balance on the stairs if they get dizzy, clear an airway, among many other things."

"Holy cow! I didn't know. How would someone get a dog like that?"

"Service dogs are trained by several organizations, taught very specific tasks then placed with an individual. You have to go to a doctor first to sign off then placed on a wait list sometimes for years. Training ranges from 12-18 months when they are of age, depending on the needs possibly an extra 6 months to a year to train dogs to open doors, carry items or teach a specific behavior in public."

"And what is your training program exactly?"

"My partner and I do obedience training but also owner advance training which means we have a list of special breeders that raise these puppies carefully for temperament, soundness, perform neurological stimulation early on as well as socialization. We can customize the dog to your needs and lifestyle. We also sells dogs that have been already trained."

"So let's say for example a pregnant woman who goes on bed rest often and is worried about security. What would you do for that?"

"I'd suggest she get a dog immediately because mentally they calm you, helping to lower your blood pressure and can be used for emotional support so she doesn't feel alone at home when everyone else is at work. I'd suggest a German Shepard because they are the ideal guard dog often used by the military and police. They are fearless and obedient and in my opinion one of the best for for protection and disabling a threat but also a good family dog.

They are very affectionate and loving. With training, the pregnant woman you described would be the handler and together we could design specific commands to help her get items, medications or the phone along with the basics. By finding this woman a puppy to match to her needs they can form a deep bond but also allow the dog to make it's own decisions. Service dogs on the other hand rarely make decisions outside of there training. That's the difference.

We can also train the dog to search the home if you feel unsafe then come back to you when it's all clear or bark to let you know it's not. They can also learn your visitors and go to the door on command and alert you if it's a stranger. Another feature we teach is called "watch my back." The dog will face the other way and move his head back and forth a total of six times causing people who are watching to think the dog is looking for them in full protection mode when it's more of a learned trick. However, if someone did approach you from behind the dog would bark to alert you. You could give the attack command if you were in danger to get away."

"How much does something like that cost?"

"Depending on the requirements a client has for blood line, gender, age, color, breeders charge $600-$2500, it includes shots and the paper work. Our lessons very on the skills the client wants them to learn. The more skills the longer it will take and the higher the price."

"So for my hypothetical scenario. How much would lessons cost?"

"Depending on the actual requirements a dog would need, 6 month to a year, around $400-$3500 a month. It seems high but we are the best in the area and get results. Were not your neighborhood PetSmart with basic commands, we do advance training and protection. If we don't train your dog perfectly we don't charge you but for best results we help you pick the dog from the start. When we meet about my case I will show you first hand the training so you have a better idea for your hypothetical friend." Wow that's a lot of money on a pet!

"If your business is so successful... why the cadaver dogs and the background in Forensics?"

"Personal reasons... I enjoy science and dogs. Let's leave it at that." I rolled my eyes. I'll just have to background check him.

"Thank you for your time Trent. I'll be in touch."

I looked up and saw Slick sitting across from me. I didn't even hear him come in.

"Do you think Ranger is a dog person?"

Slick made a weird face. "I don't know, he doesn't allow any pets in Rangeman."

That was true but I did see him pet Bob once or twice. "I was just thinking if I had a trained dog I wouldn't need a baby sitter if I ever went on bed rest again and I would feel safer at the house with a dog. I was going to have a Rangeman alarm system and I'm sure Ranger will outfit it with everything but I'm going to get bigger. It will be harder to defend myself soon. What if he goes in the wind months on end and I'm home alone. Rex is a great roommate but he doesn't keep me company in bed or hear things when I think I hear them." And if Trent trains them as well as he claims maybe it would be ok for Ranger especially if I sell it as protection for me. Something to think about. I looked at my watch and saw it was almost ten. Now I'm starving.

"You want to hit the break room with me? I kinda kicked Pablo and now I'm nervous." I knew what those tear drops meant, he killed someone and I didn't want to be next. I felt safe knowing the building was monitored but still safety in numbers.

"I heard. It was his own fault. He should have just said your name instead of trying to shake you awake. I don't think he's angry and I know he won't lay a hand on you because I will beat the crap out of him then Ranger will kill him." We both walked to the break room. I ate some eggs, turkey bacon which in my mind isn't real bacon and some toast with low fat butter. I was still hungry so I ate some hot oatmeal with added fruit. I filled Slick in on the dog and my plans. It was snowing the next few days in Jersey so I knew we would have to hold off anyway on the physical search with Trent.

"What's your deal about the dog? Are you looking for a pet or is there another reason?"

I sighed "I have several but it boils down to I'm getting bigger and I'm finding it harder to run or get out of certain holds you put me in that I didn't with Ranger. I'm concerned about being 7 months pregnant in a house alone on bed rest and someone comes in to attack me. Rangeman is 10 minutes away, 15 in traffic and if Ranger is in the wind all I have is my gun right now. I don't want to be a burden to anyone having to watch me again when a dog can be trained to help me if needed."

Slick nodded "I've been thinking about that too. I know you won't carry a knife to protect yourself but how do you feel about an expandable baton? Now before you say no, I got one to show you. It's made of steel by Smith and Weston and you can use it to defend yourself with out getting too close to a person. They make them in all sizes, in all colors but I chose black for you. This one is 26 inches long and if you click this button it extends automatically. If you felt unsafe you could easily slip it inside your sleeve and conceal it in your hand then expand it by one click for defense."

It was thin like a stick but more like the size of a branch with a rubber grip. I looked around then clicked the button and watched it expand to the 26 inches long. I saw a soft cord I could use to carry it on my wrist or attach it when I fought to keep it from being knocked out of my reach. It was nifty and compact.

"It's not what I expected. It's not thick or heavy?"

"Do you want to go to the gym and practice with me a little? I have my own." I nodded. We made our way down to the mats. We took off our shoes and weapons then practiced opening and closing it then hiding it up my sleeve and lowering it to my hand several times. Then we sword fought each other slowly to get the feel.

"I like it. I like that I don't have to get to close to someone to deflect a punch." Slick had me practice on a fake man on where to strike. Then he placed on a bunch of padding and very slowly practiced trying to grab me or punch me but not connecting. Just slow motion movements. Eventually I got tired and sat on the mats. I noticed people in the gym watching us looking at me confused.

"What made you think of this?"

He shrugged "I did a search on self defense for women and this came up. It has it's disadvantages but I found the best one on the market for you. But like your stun gun they aren't legal in every state so keep it on the down low... I had a feeling you were going to like it so I got you a forearm holster for under a long shirt and a thigh holder to keep it on your body.

"Perfect. Let me know what you paid and I'll reimburse you." It was a little passed lunch so we went back to the break room.

"After lunch I want to run a larger search on the missing victim's but also the stalker's car. I'll let you choose which you prefer."

"The car. I don't enjoy reading people's backgrounds, they bore me." Sometimes I could agree. After several bathroom breaks we got back to work. I could tell Slick was getting restless.

"In a little bit, do you want to practice breaking into a safes or a little lock picking? Were behind on our lessons."

"Ya. Let me just run a few more searches first." I checked my work cell and saw a voice mail from Morelli and two apology messages. I just deleted them. I also saw Val called. I dialed her number.

"Hey Steph."

"Hey what's up?"

"Mom keeps calling me. She asked me to talk to you. She is mad your ignoring her calls. What are you two fighting about anyway?"

"It's private but I asked her to stop nagging me and making me feel like crap with guilt trips among other things. I'm sorry she involved you but you need to stay out of it. If people keep enabling her she won't change... How is your pregnancy going?"

"Good. Were having another girl. We just found out." She sighed. "I was really hoping for a boy for our last one but I can't get pregnant anymore it's exhausting and the kids are running around the house crazy. Listen Steph I gotta go. Lisa needs a bath." And she hung up. That's my relationship with Valerie in a nutshell. She calls me to tell me something or talk about herself or her family then hangs up and doesn't ask me anything.

"You ready to go to a room no one has shown you before?"

"Sure what's it called?" Rangeman had some really weird names for certain rooms.

"The Key Master's Quarters." I laughed. It made me think of the Key Master from _Ghostbuster's_.

"Is that it's real name?"

"No. That's the nickname someone gave it. Let me show you why." We took the elevator to the sub floor, past the interrogation rooms to what I thought was a broom closet.

"Use your fob otherwise I need to get the key from Control." I pointed my key chain and the door unlocked.

Inside on the walls were various types of safes, keys and locks of every design imaginable. There was even different setups with handcuffs connected to different pieces of furniture, tables, chairs and a wall. I saw in the corner a station with different molding boxes and a machine to make keys. Near by on another table I saw different lock pick sets and safe cracking tools, old school to high tech.

"This room is creepy yet fascinating. I guess it's for training?"

"Ya. Part of the Rangeman test. Your given a time limit and you have to open as many as possible, some are harder then others but you get higher points for the harder ones since they take more time."

"There's at least 50 safes in here and hundreds of locks. Who holds the record?"

"Other then Ranger and Tank, it would be me then Cal for Trenton. I don't know about Miami." Slick walked over to the table and picked up a blue colored lock pick set and handed it to me. "For encouragement. I will also award prizes." Slick took both of my cell phones and locked them inside a safe.

"When you can open this, you get them back. That's your prize." My jaw just dropped.


	47. Chapter 47

SPOV

"Did you just lock them inside... are you insane! I've never cracked a safe before!" I tried the handle and it was indeed locked.

Slick shrugged his shoulders "You needed proper motivation to focus. This will also teach you patience." I glared at him.

Slick smiled bigger "Now some safes have key overrides to open them but right now we will start a step above the basic safe you will find in most homes. For now put your lock pick set in your pocket. As you can see it's a combination lock. Before you ever tackle a safe know the maker and unit so you know exactly how many numbers your looking for. This model in particular needs three numbers to open it.

This is called the combination dial, physically breaking into a safe is difficult and removing them from a place is too much work and sometimes too heavy which is why it's easier to figure out the correct number sequence." Slick pulled something off one of the table's, it was metal and weird looking.

"This is a model of how the spindle works. You can see here, that's how the spindle is attached to the dial. When you rotate the dial the spindle rotates. You won't see this at all but for training purposes I wanted you to get an idea of the inner workings. This piece here is the drive cam which is connected to the spindle and this is the drive pin. This piece here catches against the wheels for the rotation and this is the wheel fly.

Wheels are also called tumblers, you need to listen for them to be caught by the drive pin during the rotation when you spin the dial. If you don't know how many tumblers a safe has then it could take all day to figure out depending on the model but since I told you it was three already that means your looking for three digits. Later on I will show you how to research different safes and places they are most commonly hidden. The sound you will hear is called the lock drop.

Now each wheel has something called a gate, when you rotate the wheel and hit a number, the lever moves and will drop then you will write that number down." Slick was showing me the model as he was speaking and it was helping with my visualization. "When the wheel rotates to the first correct notch then your reverse the direction of the dial to look for the next correct position."

"What kind of sound exactly?"

"A click. But let's say I didn't tell you it's a three digit combo and you just find an unknown safe somewhere then you need to figure out it's length which means how many numbers it needs to open. To do that you need to turn the dial several times to disengaged the wheels. Use this stethoscope near the dial." I crinkled my face. I really didn't want to stick something in my ears if everyone uses this room.

"Is it clean?"

"Those wipes disinfect but I will do it again for us." I watched Slick clean two Stethoscopes.

"Place it into your ears and the bell against the safe wall to amplify the sound. What your listening for is located right behind this dial but you can't put it directly over the dial because you need to turn it obviously... Metal vibrates so it's easier to listen to and the easiest to crack. The further we go along the wall the harder it will be.

Now place your hand on the dial counterclockwise and listen for two clicks near each other. Continue rotating slowly and have a piece of paper handy or chalk to write on the safe. I prefer a dry erase pen myself... Did you hear that click? It was fainter then the other?"

"Yes."

"It's sloped toward one side and we need to now listen for the drive cam to slide under the lever arm. When you hear that click it's the contact area between the two clicks...Why are your hands shaking Steph?"

"I'm nervous." I took a few deep breaths and started again. "The clicking sounds aren't very loud and I'm afraid I'll never get my phones back."

"Breathe in and out again. Relax your mind and just listen to me and the clicks. Now reset the lock again and repeat what we just did by yourself... Good. Now turn the dial counterclockwise."

"Did you hear those two clicks again in the counterclockwise direction?" I nodded.

"Ok this is the tricky part. Turn the dial until it's opposite of the two clicks in that contact area exactly 180 degrees. We are parking the wheels it's called, as you rotate, count the number of clicks you hear then rotate slowly again. Now count the clicks in that park region I showed you. Perfect. You could hear three. Some safes have seven.

Now this safe is straightforward but the one next to it here has anti-cracking technology included that will give you many clicks in the wrong position to throw beginners off. That's why it's important to do your research to skip these steps. Since you know this is a three combo system all you have to do is just listen for the clicks. Finding the lengths of a combo is harder as you go down the line and takes at least 5 minutes. When you only have 8 minutes in a house you won't get out in time.

Now let's work on the actual combination. This is graph paper, you may remember it from high school." I made a face. I really hated math.

"We are not doing math so stop looking like that Angry Kitty poster...set up a two line graph on this paper." I made a confused face.

"It's a long complicated explanation but seeing the shape of the line graph will help you figure out the numbers."

I sighed "This is a lot harder then the movies make it out to be." I grabbed two chairs for us to sit down in front of the safe together.

"Let's label each graph a and b. The x axis covers the span of the dial. What's the lowest and highest number?"

"Um zero to 100."

"Ok for now we leave the y blank. I want you to write on the bottom of the x axis "starting position" and the y axis "left contact point." "Now on the second graph below this one write the same thing except on the second Y axis it will be the "right contact point."

"Will I have to use a graph every time?"

"No but this is how my dad taught me and after a few times you won't need this graph, it's just easier visually to teach you then words. Now focus."

"Reset the dial to zero. Now spin it several times clockwise to disengage the wheels then reset to zero. Now rotate counterclockwise and listen, breathe through your noise and quiet your heart rate, find that contact area. Did you hear those two clicks?" I nodded. "Note the position on your graph at the exact number you heard that sound. You turned left so it's your left contact point.

Now do it again for the right contact point. Good. Your almost done. Now reset the lock and set it three numbers left of the zero, record that click. Always reset after you hear the click. Now let me over lay your graphs and can you see where the y values meet in correspondence with the x on both graphs. Those are your numbers. Now you need to test them.

"So that's the sequence or I need to find the sequence?"

"You need to find it still."

"So with a three number sequence you have six options. Write them all out now then test each one." I held my breathe before I tried the handle. The first two tries didn't work but on my third try it did! I jumped up and down then grabbed my phones. I felt like I just won the Stanley Cup! I did a little dance and the _Breakfast Club_ fist pump into the air. Slick was clapping for me.

"Now if we did our research first you would have known that safes come directly from the manufacturer with a general code. People should change the code immediately but most don't after purchase. If you had researched first you could have tried out the general code which would have opened this model for you." Slick had a big smile on his face.

"You also need to be observant, some people do what's called day lock. Other's leave the last number visible when they open the safe and don't reset the dial leaving you only to figure out the first two numbers. Now this model to the left, is the most basic safe. It's a key pad. I didn't start you on it because all you need to do it turn off the lights and see the oil residue from a person's finger prints using a UV light to figure out the code. People rarely wipe there prints. I will show you briefly now." He grabbed the light and hit the lights.

"What do you see?"

"9,5,3 and enter."

"Perfect. Try a few combos to open it." I typed 9,5,3 and it opened quickly.

"You can also use finger print dusk or sometimes makeup if you have some of that blush dust stuff. Just lightly blow and see what numbers the dust sticks too. More high tech safes have re-lockers which means if you try the combo to many times or use excessive force to move it the safe locks down. Just be aware." I still felt dumb for not even thinking of searching the safe online with my phone to help me crack it then I remembered it was locked inside as my prize. Slick was very sneaky.

"Is there a book or something that contains all the manufacturers combos for every make and model?"

"Yes." He pointed to a small book case with several manuals.

"The room is updated every time a model is on the market. It's organized alphabetically by brand then you can look up the name or serial number." Of course it was alphabetically just like everything else in Rangeman. Ranger ran a really tight ship. I wonder how he handles the chaos of my side of the closet without freaking out.

"I'm a little tired Slick. I need to check my million messages now because of someone." I looked at him dead in the eyes and smirked. "And I need a bathroom break with a snack... I feel dehydrated too." We worked our way back to the elevator. I felt a little dizzy so I grabbed the handle bar and closed my eyes for a few seconds. Slick moved closer to me near my face trying to get me to look at him.

"Steph what's wrong?"

"I'm thirsty. I have a headache and now I'm a little dizzy. I told you I'm dehydrated. I haven't had much water today and I worked too much in the gym before training downstairs. I'm fine I just need to sit for a while." I rubbed my hand over my face and felt a little better. The doors opened and I saw the control room all turn to look at me. One man was about to pick up his phone to call Ranger.

I pointed at him and spoke firmly "Don't you dare. I'm fine. I need a drink that's all." He looked like a deer caught in the headlights and placed the phone back down. I patted myself on the back mentally. I was surprised that worked.

Slick walked closely with me to the break room. I sat in a chair and put my feet up. Slick grabbed me a water and orange juice then started opening up different cabinets looking for something.

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't know, something for you to snack on. Maybe protein... watermelon? I need watermelon for you!" Slick started searching the fridge and dished out some fruit salad.

"Why watermelon?"

"It's mostly water but also the best for re-hydration. I bet it has a bunch of minerals and nutrients too for the babies... Shit. Your hands were shaking earlier on the dial down stairs. I should have seen it as a sign and got you water." I never saw Slick all over the place like this before. He was usually calm and collected.

"Your freaking out a little. Calm down. I'm fine. It's a lot easier for me to get dehydrated these days since I'm pregnant. I'm still figuring out my body myself so relax."

Slick pulled out some milk from the fridge."Do you need more calcium and protein in your diet? I never see you drink milk?" I shook my head.

"Ranger hides it in my meals courtesy of Ella. I only have milk in my cereal or ice cream." Slick looked concerned again. "Trust me Ranger reads my levels from the doctor then adds weird foods to my diet after each appointment... I found freaking kale mixed in one of my salads before we left for Miami. Kale Slick. Kale!" I said it like it was a dirty word. I hated it with a passion.

Slick laughed then started making a plate for himself for dinner. He offered to make me one too but I was waiting till 6:30 for Ranger.

I drank my juice and kept Slick company reading my phone messages. Another from Morelli apologizing, delete. I saw an email from Trent then a message from Royce telling me he was drowning in calls from both hotlines. The stalker hotline and the information on our suspect hotline but nothing was panning out. No word on a new missing woman. That I was thankful for.

I saw three missed calls from my mom and a picture message from my dad. He picked up two baby outfit's today that said _Grandpa's Boy_ and _Grandpa's Future TV Buddy_... I was a little freaked out. I've never seen my father act like this. He wasn't a man of emotion except when it came to his chair, the TV or the bathroom. Occasionally he would fight with Grandma Mazur and once threatened Diesel when he tried to fake marry me but I never saw any other emotion, let alone him buy anything for one of Val's girls.

I messaged back thanks. I didn't know what else to say. I saw a few messages from Lula and Connie telling me about some people they intervened for the bond's office. Vinnie left me a few voice mails bitching I'm not back yet to work. Connie seemed sad Alejandro stopped doing the high bonds. Poor Vinnie is now doing double the work for once.

Grandma left me a message that she heard Joyce eloped last night. Her new husband's kids got wind he was planning to marry her and tried to stop it so Joyce and him flew to Vegas. I actually felt bad for the guy but he should have at least Googled her, she was the one person I knew who turned marriage into a career.

I started reading Trent's email and clicked the links he listed.

I saw on different websites the comments ranged from calling Trent and his partner Mark different mean names, others said their business was a scam to collect money and the dogs they sold were defective. I searched the other reviews on these sites and up until a month ago they received high praise from clients, breeders and different organizations they had donated dogs too.

Kimi Milton was fired two and a half weeks ago for thief. She was accused of stealing over $1,000 from the petty cash box. When questioned by Trent she said she didn't do it but her code was the last that entered the office that day. Each employee had a personal code to enter the office and file room, no two people share the same code and Mark said he saw the money in the box hours earlier.

Trent said Kimi didn't put up much of a fight denying it. Trent also wrote she had an attitude for the last few months and was warned about it. Her position was caring for the puppies, feeding, bathing and cleaning up after them... That seemed like a fun job but by her salary it didn't pay well. I looked at the names of the breeders not working with Trent anymore and saw it was a Pug and French Bull dog breeder. I knew what a Pug looked like but I looked for images on my phone of the French Bull dog. It was adorable! I saw a black puppy with pointy ears chasing a ball. I showed Slick.

His eyes widened. "That's the dog you want for you and Ranger, cause that's not gonna fly... you had a better chance with the German Shepard." I rolled my eyes at him. I knew that already.

"Obviously. It's part of Trent's case, I didn't know what one bread looked like although it's adorable, I'd steal the name Gotham from Tank and put him in a Batman harness connected to a Batman leash."

Slick started laughing "Why stop there? Have Ella make him a Rangeman t-shirt too." He was being sarcastic but it wasn't the worst idea if we came for a visit. People would get a kick out of it and I'd love to see Ranger's expression.

"I always wanted a dog... I had a cat growing up named Katherine but she ran away. Sometimes I still look around for her when I'm driving... then I got tricked into Bob by Simon at the Trenton PD. Bob is very sweet but kinda dumb and eats everything in sight. I was lucky he bonded with Morelli then trained Morelli to live with his habits since he keeps failing obedience school. I loved him but he wasn't the right dog for me."

RPOV

After the break in at Santos's home, things were tensed between us. We made it through most of the day until I told him we needed to go to the mats to work it out. Afterwards we both got our focus back. Santos apologized to me and promised he would never purposely put Babe in danger. I knew that but he also didn't live the most responsible life and had no plans to settle down anytime soon. He enjoyed being with lots of different women and I did once too. As long as it didn't interfere with his job or hurt Rangeman's reputation I had no right to judge him. Rachel was my wake up call, the home invasion was Santos's. I could see today he was mentally working the changes he needed in his life. I knew he wouldn't be celibate but he was going to look at the women more closely now.

We both agreed that if it had been an attack by ex military or any of our enemies we would have been outnumbered. We would have given a good fight but our plan would have been more defensive then offensive until our backup arrived. We reviewed his security plans and make changes to upgraded the walls. It was on his list for a while and now he had an immediate reason to put that plan into action. My plate started feeling lighter for the first time in over a month with the completion of the employee reviews.

"It's a renewal year for your contract, have you decided what your doing? Last time we talked you were thinking another three years but with Steph in the picture now what's the plan?"

"Between us I was having doubts for a while about resigning before we got together officially. I'm getting older and I can't imagine not being around to raise my kids if I get out alive at the end of the contract."

"My last year they sent me out a lot, same with Tank and Bobby. I get this feeling you'll be sent out again soon."

"I'm having the same feeling, my guess maybe the end of February but probably March... I nervous about leaving Steph for months on end. I've been training Slick but Tank will be in charge of her doctor's appointments and physical well being. Mary Lou and Ella is her emotional support but I'm worried I'll be gone a few weeks and her mom or the Burg will gang up on her again ruining her progress.

It's not helping my fears that Jeanne Ellen is gunning for her and she has a stalker who wants to kill her... if I don't make it back one of these days I don't know how she will deal with it." I rubbed my hands over my face.

"I have Tank in place but... I think the babies will be the only thing to help her get out of bed if I die... I should have waited till my contract was over to be with her, I was selfish."

Les shook his head "That's love. Things happen for a reason. Be happy everyday with her, if that time comes you need to know I'd move to Trenton for her. I'd place Ramsey and Miguel in charge here and visit but I'd move in with Tank and watch over her everyday. She's family now and I'm not talking Manoso/Santos... she's your woman and the first lady of Rangeman, the matriarch of the Trenton misfits. I won't let her fall without catching her."

I raised my eyebrow at him "You'd give up your Miami lifestyle, move to Jersey just to help Steph? You've known her less then a week?"

"No. I've known her for three years. I met her once then researched her, heard many stories from Tank. She changed you for the better Ranger. I might have only spent a week with her but I know a lot from that week.

She stayed in my home and cleaned up after herself even though I told her I have a house keeper. She doesn't go through my stuff and respects my privacy and doesn't judge the amount of women I've been with. Major points for buying me pie for no reason other then she thought I'd like it.

She didn't even want to drive the BMW and asked for another cheaper car to use. Who does that? I read the reports from Hawk and Slick, she searches clearance and sales before buying anything full price and Slick had to force her to use the Rangeman credit card on her assignment. Any other woman would have used it left and right... She's a good woman who makes you happy and a good friend to me...

There's just something about her that draws you to her, makes you want to protect her... Tank and I are your family, were going to be the ones to raise the babies and protect them because your our brother. Your kids will know every story we know and be raised just how you would raise them. You have my word."

I just nodded. Santos words gave me peace of mind. Knowing both of my best friends would protect Babe, looking out for her and my children made having to leave easier. I checked Babe's tracker's through out the day and noticed she never left the building. I liked the days she never left Rangeman.

"Are you still leaving early tomorrow to take Steph around Miami?" I nodded. I didn't want Santos inviting himself to my plans with her. I was going to take her to lunch then Little Havana and the Miami Zoo. I already had Slick and Hawk scheduled as our shadows.

"Let's get back to work. I have dinner with Babe in an hour."

"I'll order takeout for dinner. The caterer is a ok as a substitute for Marisol but it's not the same. I can't wait for her to get back." This was one of the reasons I always scheduled reviews at this time, Ella was away on her cruise too.

I raised my eyebrow at him "Did I invite you?"

Santos smiled "No but I brought board games for me and Steph while you work on your laptop during the movies tonight. I have to get my time in now before she leaves again for months... I had plans for us and just because your sleeping here doesn't mean I will change them Cuz."

I just shook my head while he placed a delivery for 6:30.

SPOV

Back in the War room I started making a plan for my cases I had to juggle. I had my own, Carmel Havens and now Trent's. I needed to solve Carmel's first since it was the easier of three. I thought of ways I could catch Scott cheating... credit card didn't show any bars or hotel rooms. I needed to check his cell phone records for a pattern.

I started looking at places he frequented on his credit card to get an idea if he was in different parts of town during his lunch hour or spending late nights far from his home. If Scott wasn't using a hotel then his office or her place. I may have to plant a bug on him to to listen to his calls or meetings with people. I sighed. His cell phone records were clean, he may have a second cell at his office or hidden in his car.

I turned to Slick "if you were married and had a mistress where and how would you contact her? Your wife didn't find any evidence at home, computer or your phone and you have no large amount of money missing or charges to a hotel, no secret accounts."

"What's my occupation?" I looked at Scott's background.

"Senior Account manager for a marketing firm."

"My office or her place. He probably uses his office line to call her or his work phone or keeps a burner at his desk. The mistress may even work in his office or be a client." I wrote his good ideas in my notes. I liked having a male perspective. I'd have to run a search on the company to see the employees listed.

"How is finding information on the _Erotic Passions in Miami_ that Winnie took pictures for?" I'm glad Slick was willing to check the site. I felt weird looking at women's bodies.

"I've found some interesting pictures of Winnie's body without her face, most in different costumes but I'm struggling with tracking down the owner. It's a PO box address and the phone number is for an answering machine."

I ran a search on Scott Havens employed , _Lam and Associates. _They employed 30 people, 12 women. I narrowed my search by age decreasing my suspects to eight women. I looked up _Lam and Associates_ site, finding Scott's office number and work cell.

I started running both numbers in my programs, once I received the results I'd look for multiple calls and checked the owner's of those numbers to narrow my search. It was ten minutes until dinner so I printed off everything and wished Slick a good night.

I tried not to get into his business too much but he has had a hop in his step the last few days. I wonder if it's from the same woman or a different one every night? Regular sex with Ranger has given me a smile every morning myself so I understood.

I made my way upstairs and saw the dinning room table filled with different take out containers. I noticed on the breakfast bar different board games. Ranger and board games didn't go together, I assumed it was Les's doing... Risk, Monopoly, Chess, Checkers, Candyland, Clue, Battleship, Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit. They were both just sitting down at the table.

"I'm not playing Trivial Pursuit against Ranger he will destroy me." Ranger gave me his mega watt smile and kissed my lips as I took my seat.

"He probably won't play. I thought it would be fun after dinner." I was excited I haven't played a board game in a long time.

"I'll play Monopoly but I want to be the shoe!"

"Good Beautiful because I'm always the car." I took a little of every Cuban dish. Wow spicy but the babies were digging it.

"I should warn you Les I'm very competitive. I don't even let my nieces or small children win." I stopped eating and pointed my fork at him. "And I hate cheaters."

Les gave me a big smile. "After I school you in Monopoly, I"ll beat you in Clue. I already knows it's Colonel Mustard. In the ballroom. With your Sister!" I laughed at him.

"Take those weak lines back to Candyland, when we play Scrabble here's a seven point word for you. Fail." Les was hitting the table with his hand laughing about to say his comeback when Ranger cut him off.

"Children!" Ranger had a stern face while he ate. We both looked at him then back at each other in a fit of laughter.


	48. Chapter 48

SPOV

After eating we sat in the living room together, Ranger on his laptop to get a head start on his work for tomorrow while I beat Les in Monopoly then he beat me in Clue. We switched to Scrabble and Ranger felt like playing. He had mischief in his eyes so Les and I teamed up against him but it was worthless, he was unstoppable.

Ranger's first word was mazjiks, which we learned were Russian peasants. Les didn't know that word either so I didn't feel as dumb. We wanted to challenge word after word but the twinkle in Ranger's eye told me he wasn't making them up. While we chose quiz to get rid of our q, Ranger chose faqir to get rid of his. Google told me it was a reference to a monk. Since are words were normal, Les was trying to throw Ranger off his game by calling him Papi and Bat Daddy. Eventually they play wrestled each other on the floor, each in head locks then had a beer afterwards.

When Ranger and I got ready for bed I kicked him out of the bathroom pretending to use the toilet. Instead I put on a sexy camouflaged bra with matching boyshorts and garters with thigh high stockings. We never role played before but Ranger seemed in a fun mood tonight. I came out in my underwear and straddled his waist. I told him I was a new cadet looking for a very commanding officer.

Ranger was surprised for a minute then really turned on. The proof was in the pudding right between his thighs and I couldn't wait to move my mouth lower. He personally inspected every inch of my outfit with his mouth and hands then helped me perform different drills in bed. I noticed he was a little more verbal telling me to get on my hand and knees or maneuver my legs over his shoulders. After two vigorous rounds he was spent. I on the other hand was having trouble falling asleep, I couldn't find that sweet spot. Ranger grabbed the pregnancy pillow for me and positioned me on my left side. He told me it was best for the babies blood flow but I enjoyed him spooning me while he left a protective hand on my stomach.

Ranger got up early the next morning for a quick workout then went downstairs to his office. I waited till 8 am to wake, shower and shave. I made my way down to the break room for breakfast and filled my work bag with snacks. I sat down in the War room focusing on Scott Havens this morning. I looked up pictures of his female colleagues from his office and narrowed downed my search even more. Four were not the most attractive, not to be mean but Scott was movie star handsome. His wife Carmel looked like a Victoria secret model which meant he had high standards.

I looked up the phone records of the women and compared it to Scott's work lines, noticing he called Rory Simms personal cell often at late hours and weekends. I looked up Rory and saw her listed as a paid graduate intern. She was 24, Latin, gorgeous and had a similar body to Scott's wife Carmel. My Spidey sense was humming now. I decided to run a full background on her.

Slick came in dressed in his street clothes informing me Ranger was taking me to lunch at 12. I only had two hours to work today, I was kinda disappointed but at the same time not. I barely explored Miami and haven't spent a whole day with Ranger in a long time. Slick was still trying to track down a contact for _Erotic Passions_ since we received no response from our message.

As results started pinging for Rory I read about her schooling at Rutgers and places of employment. She had an undergrad internship at an investment firm, before that worked at _Lord and Taylor_ in high school. Excellent grades throughout, many friends and associates. Rory rented an apartment in Florence and lived alone. Her credit card history shows she likes cafes, yoga, spinning classes and _Pottery Barn_. She pays her bills on time thanks to her paid internship and help from her step father an investment banker in New York. He gives her a monthly allowance of $3000 a month as well as a Mercedes SUV. Lucky girl.

I looked at Rory's medical records from the last three months noticing several visits to an OB/GYN. I started reading the reports and realized Rory was two months pregnant and has the same prescription as my prenatal vitamins. Crap. I checked how long she was working at the marketing firm. Three months. I didn't see a current listening of a boyfriend on her background and her last relationship was around 5 months ago... I'm not going to jump to conclusions... I'm not going there just yet, Rory's still in college. She could be sleeping with her Professor or a classmate.

I checked the other women in the office Scott had called regularly but his boss was married to the owner and his assistant was in a relationship with another woman. The last woman on my list was recently married and according to her pictures online, madly in love with her new husband she called her Gummy Bear. Gross. Rory was my best lead right now but Scott could be cheating with another friend or client. I went back through his credit card history from the last two years and didn't see any hotel stays. I bet his secretary would know but I couldn't approach her yet, she may tip Scott off.

According to Scott's credit card he stopped for coffee and lunch in Florence occasionally during the work week and sometimes weekends near Rory's home during his lunch hour. Shit. I looked up Rory's Facebook page, it was set to private but her status said in a relationship with no name listed.

"Slick do you have a Facebook page?"

"No."

"I'm half tempted to make a fake account right now just to friend the mistress and look at her private pictures." I was running out of time. I set up a fake email account then logged on. I started inputting fake information like I was a business grad student at Rutgers too. Once I clicked the school, a nifty tool called find classmates came up. I friended all the people suggested.

"I need a picture that's not me." Slick pulled out his phone and emailed me some girl.

"Who is she?"

"Does it matter? Crop her face and paste it to the page."

I created a short bubbly profile then added fake likes and apps. I didn't see much use for this site personally but professionally it could be helpful. I've even heard of parents making fake profiles to monitor there kids. This may come in handy one day although I'm sure Ranger will keep a strict eye on everything. I added the app to my work phone then went to the penthouse to empty my work bag of my files, laptop and junk. I grabbed snacks, drinks and left my first aid kit, stun gun, hand cuffs, pocket knife, expandable baton and digital camera in my bag. I grabbed my baseball hat and sunglasses.

I was dressed in what I called nice casual, not anywhere near the casual I did with Morelli though. I wanted to always look good for Ranger. I hoped he didn't plan on taking me to some five star restaurant, I wasn't in the mood to dress up or eat pretentious food.

Ranger strolled in like sex on legs kissing my neck. He removed his uniform and picked dark blue jeans, grey Henley, his black leather jacket with black boots. He placed his sunglasses on the front on his shirt then hid weapons along his body. He sealed his look with a normal baseball hat. Pure sex. My stomach was rumbling otherwise I would have jumped him. We took the Cayenne, listening to Latin music on the radio while he held my hand on his thigh.

"So where are we going?"

"A small restaurant in Little Havana, some shopping then the _Miami Zoo_." None of those activities were Ranger but they were Carlos. I loved Carlos.

"I use to go to _Casa Juancho_ with my Abuela, she loved the music and paella, I thought you would too." I smiled and squeezed his hand. I loved hearing about him growing up. Ranger pointed out the park his grandfather use to play Dominoes almost daily then told me about the different festivals he attended with Les and his grandparents.

"I read a lot in juvie, there wasn't anything else to do and once I got out I never stopped. Most of the time it kept me out of trouble in Miami which made my Abuela happy."

"Do you play Dominoes?"

"I know how but not since high school."

"We should find a set in one of the shops. You can teach me and the babies... Our first tradition as a family." Ranger smiled and gave me a small nod. I looked out the windows, it wasn't what I expected.

"This area use to be safe and vibrant but certain sections are rundown. It's always different every time I return." People looked lower middle class and some on the scary side. I lived in Trenton my whole life, I wasn't put off by what I saw so far. Definitely not Stark Street but had the potential in a few years. I'd think twice about parking my car in this area right now.

"This is a tourist area but the majority of people will only speak Spanish."

"I figured. I've had the same experience with Slick at the mall." Ranger wrapped his arm around my lower back and guided me to _Casa Juancho_. He spoke rapid Spanish to the host getting us a private table in the back. I noticed Slick in the lot but didn't see him now. After hearing what Ranger's grandma ordered I did the same while he ordered a chicken dish with various appetizers.

Our waitress was flirting with Ranger in Spanish, I don't know what she was saying but she gave him fuck me eyes and puffed out her boobs close to his eye level. I glared at her but he barely gave her a glance. He dismissed her then put his arm around me pulling me close whispering sexy Spanish in my ear. I couldn't help slipping my tongue into his mouth in a kiss. When we needed air I decided to test a few questions on him. Sometimes he allowed them other times he didn't.

"Did you live around here?"

"About ten minutes away, a decade ago it was a safe area much better then Newark, now it's worse with gangs and drive by shootings. I wouldn't even drive through to show you. I'm sure the house isn't in good shape anymore either." That made me sad for him. I still drove by my grandparents old home on occasion just to see if the owners made any changes and relive happy memories. I couldn't imagine it rundown and destroyed. Grandma Mazur's old home had flower beds on both sides of the front door, the new owner still plants new flowers every year just like her.

Ranger and I fed each other bites of our dishes then he shared a little more about the places he went in his teenage years. I was shocked one was fast food. Ranger explained after basic training he needed vigorous work outs and strict diet to be in Special Forces then continued that regiment because of his contract. Being healthy and fast was tied to his survival.

I noticed other tables had dessert and I still had a little space left. Ranger ordered Tres Leches. He only had one bite, saying his Abuela Rosa's was better. The bill came and Ranger pulled money from his clip. I noticed the waitress wrote her number with a heart. I rolled my eyes annoyed.

I walked outside feeling unattractive at the moment. I touched my necklace remembering Ranger's words. Out of all the women in Miami and Trenton he chose me. I needed to remember that. No one likes a jealous girlfriend. I kissed his neck as he guided me down the street. I saw a cigar shop and had to pick up a few for my Dad's upcoming birthday, he enjoyed smoking at the lodge while they played poker. Surprisingly Ranger picked up a few boxes.

"I didn't know you smoked? I thought your body was a temple?" I gave him a cheeky grin.

"Rarely. Occasionally with Santos and Tank the others are for client's. The price of doing business."

A few stores down I found an art shop. I still needed art for the house but Ranger didn't seem very interest. I slowly made my way through the sections, some art was new others vintage. It was a neat co-op. Some of the portraits were beautiful and detailed but not in line with the style of our home. Eventually I found framed landscapes and one city scene of Cuba. I presented them to Ranger and he gave each a long once over. He picked the city and only one landscape for his home office. He tried to pay but I grabbed my card first. Hawk placed our purchases in the car.

The next street had an antique store. They carried some cool coins, jewelry, a few pieces of furniture but everything was priced high. I was about to leave when I noticed two Domino sets in a vintage wooden box. Ranger lifted one set out of my hand, lightly touching the tiles with his fingers.

"These are just like my Abuelo's." He closed the box and took both to purchase.

"I want to go to the gift shop next door I saw a few baby items in the window." I picked up a baby jumper that said _"Kiss Me I'm Cuban._" Ranger just shook his head. I thought Ranger's parents would think it was cute when they met the babies... if they met them. When I bought a shirt that said "_I Heart My Cuban Boyfriend"_ as a bed time shirt he finally pulled me out of that store.

Being here, seeing Ranger's culture made me think about my biological parents. I don't know Ethan's real name but he told me my mother's. I tried researching her based on the information he gave me but like Ranger's records, her's didn't exist either. I could try researching my biological grandmother but I wasn't ready yet and I didn't expect to find much.

We made our way back to the car when a kid with a knife came out of a door speaking rapid Spanish to us. Ranger stepped in front of me pulling his gun. The kid turned and ran. Smart.

"This is why I didn't want you here alone."

Ranger kept one hand on his gun then wrapped his arm around my waist taking me back to the car. He opened my door then returned to the driver's seat. I pulled his face to mine and kissed his lips. I whispered "love you."

Despite our attempted mugging it had been an awesome day so far.

"Have you been to the zoo recently? Did you take Julie?" I felt Ranger tense, his blank face slamming into place. Weird.

"The last time I went to this zoo was a field trip for school. I never took Julie places maybe a store twice and a movie but that wasn't our relationship."

"Did Rachel and Ron not allow you?"

"No. It's complicated... I never bonded with Julie...When Rachel was pregnant I never went to any appointments except one and I sat in the waiting room for the paternity results." Ranger placed his hand over my stomach as he drove. "I didn't want to be a father at that time, I didn't make an effort to go to the appointments that I could attend which were only one or two. I was deployed majority of time. I never heard Julie's heart beat or read any books. I saw pictures in letters but they were fuzzy, not like the ones you and I have now.

I didn't bond with Rachel or her stomach...I didn't feel anything for either of them. Julie was born, I received a letter with a picture of them together, I was happy they were both healthy and ok but that was the extent. I understood Julie was my daughter but I didn't feel anything. I thought it would change when I held Julie that's what certain men told me in my unit but it wasn't like we had Skype or great technology thirteen years ago.

We had phones but I didn't want to talk to Rachel. The first time I saw and held Julie in person she was four months old and I knew she was my blood, I felt a duty to support her but I didn't feel like her father. I never bonded with her when she was baby and that carried over into her growing up...Ron wanted to be her dad so I signed the papers...I read in the books Ella bought that what I experienced was normal but I was concerned I'd feel that way about this pregnancy too.

But I didn't. The moment I found out you were pregnant I felt a new level of protectiveness towards you, I started researching everything to do with twins then I saw your bump and it felt real to me. Going to your appointments seeing them on the sonogram makes it real for me too... I've bonded more with your stomach then I ever have with Julie, part of me feels guilty for that but I know I wasn't going to be a good father to her the moment Rachel told me." I had no doubt Ranger loved our twins, he constantly touched my stomach and kissed it. To me it was understandable, he didn't bond in part because his deployment but he also didn't do emotions like most people.

"You shouldn't feel guilty, it's common... Don't tell anyone but Lenny was the same way when Mary Lou was pregnant the first time and he saw her everyday. He was working so much trying to get money for a house that he missed a lot of appointments then Lou gave birth to a son and Lenny didn't feel anything for a while. He was afraid to hold him too, it took over a month of nonstop feedings and rocking him to sleep to create that bond. It's harder for men, you don't feel them inside of you, I saw a pamphlet it happens to mom's too." I covered his hand on my stomach with mine. I forget sometimes he needs reassure like me, he's always so strong.

"I never doubted once how much you love them and me. Give yourself a break, Julie is a great with two loving parents, you did the best thing for her and you." I was starting to piece together my first meeting with Julie, she said she didn't know Ranger well but I thought it was more then what I knew about him. That's why she never called him anything but Ranger, it would have made both of them uncomfortable.

"When the babies are born we should both do that Kangaroo method I saw on the coffee table back home."

Ranger nodded "I looked at the research skin to skin contact helps the babies bond with both parents while stabilizing their temperature, heart rate, breathing, blood sugar but also colonizes the same bacteria as you. It also comforts the baby allowing them to latch faster for breastfeeding."

I smiled at him "I enjoy you shirtless whatever the reason I'll take it." Ranger parked the car in the lot and kissed me deeply with lots of tongue.

"Playing with fire Babe."

We purchased our tickets, holding hands around the park. This place was cooler then the Philadelphia Zoo. We enjoyed looking at the Elephants, Lions then I saw it... a Rhino Encounter. Ranger was hesitant so I pulled him along right up to the wide bars, a small child could easy fit through.

The guide spoke up "Hi Folks. This is Jaunpur and Suru our male Indian Rhinos." He made a sound and both came right up to me peaking through the bars "Touch them there friendly." I lifted my hand slowly but I paused just before I made contact.

"I swear it's safe. Both went under a lot of training and take audio clues... Here feed him some greens and I'll take a picture of you and your friend." I handed him my camera and Ranger and I fed the Rhinos. I touched Suru's skin, it was rough but he had sweet small black eyes.

"A gentle giant." I watched Ranger feed Jaunpur and give him a few pats on the head. The guide was still taking a bunch of photos making me ecstatic. I didn't have many of the two of us and I couldn't take any in Greece. I would cherish this forever.

Eventually we posed together a few times with the Rhinos then us kissing next to them. I noticed Slick and Hawk around the corner. They looked like they wanted to touch them really bad too but was afraid of Ranger. I looked into Ranger's eyes and said "please" for them. He debated for a minute then nodded to them. They turned into little boys with big eyes and practically ran over.

"That was amazing! I can't believe how sweet they were... I was just thinking we may see Kevin the Giraffe but he went to a zoo in Naples Florida. Maybe I should visit Kevin before I leave, let Lula know he's doing well."

"It's about two hours away." He had a weird facial expression.

"What's that face? I've never seen it before?"

"I don't like Giraffe's." I started laughing. We made our way through different animal exhibits, bears, lizards, leopards then I saw Camel rides!

"If I wasn't pregnant I would go for a ride." I was bummed now."Have you ever rode a camel?"

"Yes." Ranger gave me a small smile. "There easy to ride since they don't spook like horses but the saddle is killer for a man. Camels sit down for you to mount and dismount but they aren't graceful when they do, I've seen men fly right off."

I was sad I didn't get to experience the camels like Ranger had in the Army. I watched for a few minutes but it wasn't the same as doing. Ranger moved my hair away from my neck planting a light kiss. "Next time I promise." I nodded.

"Have you rode other animals besides a Horse and Camel?" Ranger had to think.

"Donkey, Camel, Elephant, Mule, Yak and I watched Santos try to ride a bull and a Zebra, neither worked out for him." I had crazy image in my mind with a big smile.

"Which was the best ride or the most fun?"

"Most comfortable was the Yak, most interesting was the Elephant. They sit down and you climb around there necks and balance to ride them, it's very slow and shaky."

I shook my head and smiled. "I would have loved to try those things. I'll have to make a list once I pop." Ranger kissed my forehead and held my hand as we walked another 30 minutes. At one point the hippo's were hiding in there cave but Ranger whistled a few times. They came out like magic.

"Hippo Whisperer." Ranger started chuckling, pulling me to his side.

I walked quickly through the snake exhibit keeping my eyes down. "I don't care they are contained by glass they still freak me out. Someone may pull a _Harry Potter_ in here and a snake may come loose." I kept shivering especially when I heard a rattle. I practically ran for the exit.

I was reading the map although Ranger wanted to navigate. I refused. "The next interactive station is your favorite! The Giraffe feeding station!" I paid for a bunch of food then went up several flights of stairs to pet them.

"Howdy Folks this is Titan, Kita and Fezzick. Don't be shy they will scoop the food right out of your hand with there 14 inch tongues." Ranger came up to stand next to me but refused to feed them. I heard him mumble about having nightmares again. I whispered dirty suggestions into his ear for tonight if he took pictures with me and them. That changed his tune immediately.

I needed to take a break on a bench, removing two waters from my bag. This place wasn't Ranger's scene but I think he was having fun anyway. He seemed surprised by the interactive exhibits.

"This is my new favorite place, thank you for bringing me here. I can't wait to bring the twins too." Ranger wrapped his arm around me and kissed my head. Even though this was a fun outing for us, I still noticed he kept aware of our surroundings at all times. I rested my head on his shoulder catching my breathe.

"I forgot to tell you! Yesterday I spoke with authority and it worked! I was pretty excited. I think it will be my mom tone." Years ago I chased a skip into a fence getting hurt but Ranger told him to stay and he did. I asked Ranger to teach me to speak with authority but he said it was impossible. Somehow I channeled my inner Ranger yesterday on that control room guy.

Ranger started chuckling. We both knew it was no where near his authoritative voice but he still found me amusing. We checked out some more mammals then creatures native to Australia, the fish and plant exhibits. I saw an interactive bird exhibit but Ranger didn't want me anywhere near it. I sighed and watched from behind the observation glass. It was neat seeing a bunch of people standing around with parakeets, rosellas, cockatiels all over there bodies and heads.

A handler was giving people treats for the birds, it was something I wanted to do myself until I saw a man's head get pooped on. Ranger gave me a smug smile, I lightly hit him in the arm.

When we got back to the car I noticed we had spent four hours enjoying the day and it was dinner time.

"Where now?"

"Dinner. Then relax back at Rangeman."

I checked my phones while we drove, I now had 49 friends on my fake Facebook account. Seriously? These people don't even know me? I rolled my eyes and sent a friend request to Rory. None of my other messages were important on my work cell but I noticed Royce messaged my private line. He said he was still running down the car but it could have been stolen, a rental or borrowed. I groaned.

"Did Ella tell you she was making us a scrapbook of our baby adventure? She told me at Christmas. She's already made a bunch of copies of different pictures and had me pose with my stomach showing before she left... It's not my thing but I had a hard time saying no. I'm sure one day I'll love it since it's her baby shower gift to me."

"She's a sweet lady. Sometimes I hate telling her no too, she has a good heart."

"Did you pick out the art in your penthouse?"

"Our penthouse and no Ella did. If you don't like it I can take it down."

"No it's ok. I just always wondered since I first saw your apartment. I don't know... it just didn't seem to fit your personality. The apartment is serene and cool, earth tones with clean lines, masculine but not overbearing but the art is abstract. Your very organized it just didn't fit." Ranger parked us at a casual steak house, it wasn't a hole in the wall but it was on it's way. We sat down and ordered salads with steak. It smelled really good, I had high hopes now.

"Do you think Rex is ok in Tank's office? He's never taken care of a hamster before and normally I'd keep him at my parents but Tank seemed easier since Ella's on vacation."

Ranger shrugged his shoulders "he has cats, it's similar. All he has to do is feed him and if he gets to loud move him to my office. If anything was wrong Tank would have called."

"Maybe I should ask Tank to send me proof of life with today's paper in the picture. I wrote him a few times about his date but he hasn't responded."

Ranger chuckled "It's not a ransom Babe. I'm sure he's alive."

"I'm just nervous he's getting older. Before Christmas he wasn't on his wheel as much."

RPOV

I noticed Rex was slowing down too. I know for a fact he's alive because Tank would have called me immediately then found an exact replacement not just in looks but temperament. Babe had an uncanny attachment to Rex and I didn't want to see her cry. Last time I took her to a funeral it was of someone she hated, Mama Macaroni and she balled hysterically. Rex's passing would be ten times worse.

I had an irrational fear I'd find Rex dead one day and I'd have to tell her. I incorporated checking he was alive into my morning routine. I also read Slick's report that Babe wants a dog even though she hasn't told me yet. I'm not exactly a dog person... I never had a pet growing up and never imagined buying one. My schedule is irregular, dogs need attention, walks, food, bathroom breaks. Walking a dog around Rangeman could get me killed by a drive by shooter.

I read Slick's explanation of Babe's interest and the breed, a German Shepard but I'd have to see the dog and training for myself. If I agreed it would have to be kept disciplined, he can't be on the furniture or bed and no table scraps which meant Babe would need training too. I would only get a dog if we lived in the house and not a minute before.

For me it boiled down to not wanting a Bob. Morelli was a moron for keeping him, he should have just returned him to Simon or broke into his place and left him there. Although I did enjoy watching Bob eat a human heart then throw it up on Morelli's floor the damage wasn't worth it.

Depending on how good Babe will take care of a dog and how well trained I'm open to consideration. I've worked with military dogs specifically German Shepard's, they are great for security and if I was in the wind or at work Babe wouldn't be lonely.

Eventually our food came and Babe brought up getting a trained dog by Trent. I was impressed with some of the commands like watch my back. I could see in her eyes she really wanted a dog too.

"Babe he won't be like a normal pet, he needs to stay disciplined, be fed, walked, someone needs to pick up after him outside." And I didn't want to be the only one.

"I know. Trent told me he could train a dog just to go to the bathroom in one area to make it easier and PetSmart has a vet with a grooming department for baths and nails and I can leave out water and food I do that already for Rex. Walk wise I can just sit outside and throw a ball. I'm guessing were adding walls around the house so he can run as much as he wants.

As far as poop clean up, I did it for Bob and if I'm on bed rest I can call Mooner or one of my nieces and pay them cash." Mooner was not coming to our house, I'd order Slick to clean it up before that happened. I just didn't want to get stuck with a dog that I solely had to care for, it might be nice to run with a dog in the spring and summer too.

"Do you want dessert?"

"I do but team Manoso doesn't." Babe pointed at her stomach. Santos called them that last night and it stuck. I liked it better then Bat babies anyway. I paid the bill and walked my woman safely to the car. I noticed her check her work phone. Why was she on Facebook?

"Babe?" That website was a major security risk for us.

"It's a fake profile, I'm trying to figure out if a husband has a mistress by looking at her pictures online, she just friended me. I think that's what it's called. See look?" I looked at her profile, it was nothing like her and the picture was of a random party girl. I relaxed. She started looking at the woman's pictures.

"Shit."

"Problem?"

"Yeah the husband's on here making out with her on a bed and in a kitchen while wearing his wedding ring. I think he also made a love child with her. I need to print these out as soon as we get back to Rangeman. Damn. His wife seemed really nice too. She wanted to have children with him. Five years of marriage for nothing. I'm still going to follow him and get her some answers but... I'm just not looking forward to telling her." I sighed.

"Why do men even get married when they know they will just cheat, it's stupid." And this was my roadblock. Dickie really did a number on her trust issues, turning her off marriage, it's why I had to take things slowly with her.

"Not all men cheat but I agree it's stupid, you always get caught and everyone ends up hurt." I squeezed her hand. I could tell she wanted to ask me something.

"Rachel's notes said she thought you cheated on her while you were married, technically you weren't in a relationship with her but was she right? Were you with anyone else while you were married to her?"

"Before I married her I was. Once we said our vows, I deployed and didn't see any women for a long time because my unit was all men. I didn't see other women until I served her divorce papers." I didn't want to tell Babe that given the opportunity I would have seen other women while deployed at that time. Rachel and I weren't in love, we didn't marry for the right reasons and I didn't see it as wrong if I had. I believed in marriage vows but Rachel and I didn't mean ours to each other. I also had a feeling she was seeing Ron earlier then she told me or anyone else.

Did I wait for my divorce to go through officially. No. It would have taken another six months to be official and I was on leave in desperate need of a release. Am I proud? No but I can't change my past and I don't want to scare Babe away from marriage to me. As far as I'm concerned we're already married, it's just paperwork at this point. I would never be unfaithful to her. Even when we weren't dating the last few years I couldn't get her out of my head. I would have felt like I was cheating on her if I was with random women behind her back. I told her once _Someday_ and I meant those words. I wasn't going to screw that up over a one night stand.

Babe and I entered the penthouse and agreed to have a bath together. I checked in with control then Santos.

SPOV

I started grabbing all the items from Marisol's basket, salts, bubbles, it's a shame we didn't have more candles. I lowered the lights and placed on _Pandora radio_ from my phone. I pinned my hair up and sat in the warm water. A few minutes later I felt Ranger slip in behind me, my head now against his strong chest.

"I've been thinking about dog names... I know you won't let me name him anything Batman related but I like Balto, Zorro, Linc, Roman, Moose, Duke, Wookie, Bullet, Boss and Higgins. I took you into consideration otherwise I'd named him Popeye or Scobby."

Ranger started chuckling. "I served with men that all had those names except Higgins." Ranger was kissing my neck and washing my stomach slowly. He was feeling frisky moving his hand between my breasts down my thighs. "Higgins it is Babe." He deeply kissed me and had me straddle his waist.

Ranger broke into his street accent and whispered "_This is gonna be fun. This here's gonna be Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle does Trenton."_


	49. Chapter 49

Note: Someone wanted to know why Ranger doesn't like Giraffe's, I believe it was book 20? I don't remember the exact words but Ranger said he kept waking up all night thinking about the Giraffe he saw with Steph and asks her why she wasn't disturbed by it running around, her response was she had bigger problems, people were trying to kill her. Ranger then said he's was use to people trying to kill him but it wasn't normal to almost get trampled by a Giraffe for him.

SPOV

It's been several days and now I'm in my closet trying on everything for Julie's party today. I even spent most of yesterday at the mall picking a few new outfits for the party and meeting tomorrow. It's not just about looking good... well maybe a little, it would be nice showing up Rachel but I wanted to fit in as Ranger's partner while making a nice impression on Julie. I don't want a lot of cleavage showing but I'm debating on displaying my stomach.

If I wear a tighter dress it's on display making me look skinny from all angels but the side. If I wear something baggy it hides my stomach but I look fat. Ron said it's a small family party with a few neighbors and some friends. According to Ranger most people at the party already know I'm pregnant thanks to Rachel so technically I don't need to hide it.

I try on a sleeveless v-neck, long blue maxi dress with a French knot on the front. It brings out my eyes but is also fun and casual. I try on a three quarter sleeve tight chevron dress that stops before my knee. It's more upscale on the professional end. Marisol is out shopping right now but I need help.

I message Les "_SOS I'm having a fashion emergency I don't know what to wear to a Miami birthday party. The fashion standards are different then Trenton. If you can help I'd be thankful_."

A few minutes later the front door opened to his bright face. "What's up Beautiful."

"Your stylish and wear colors. I don't know what to wear. I'm getting nervous about my first impression, clothes say a lot about a person." Les went through my options and picked six for me to try on in the bathroom to show him. I heard him turn on Pit Bull while I modeled each dress like a fashion show. If I wasn't so nervous I'd laugh.

"What are your thoughts on Rachel and Ron?"

"She was pretty at 19 but I found her annoying. She thought she was better then most because she grew up in a nice white neighborhood and set her eyes on Ranger thinking she could take a walk on the wild side and maybe reform him, get a good looking boyfriend out of the deal." I rolled my eyes. Bad Boy was ingrained in Ranger's DNA despite the expensive Armani suits. He would never be reformed or civilized despite Ella's attempts to decorate his apartment perfectly, serve him meals on a fancy silver tray and fill his apartment with fresh flowers. Ranger was who he was. It didn't help I was a sucker for a bad boy either.

"The only way I would have slept with Rachel back then was drunk. After she got pregnant she wanted her parents lifestyle complete with the perfect husband. I don't even think she took Ranger's wants into consideration in her planning but after the divorce she mellowed out. I could at least stand being in a room with her again if I didn't have to talk that much to her.

I've grown to hate her passionately over the last year. This job is difficult enough I don't need fake bullshit on top of it. And I don't think Ranger should have paid any support after he signed his rights away but he's an honorable man working on his Karma."

"Your not working on yours?"

Les shook his head. "I did bad things. Things I'm not proud of for my country, national security and the safety of my unit. What's going to happen to me will happen, might as well live my life now on my terms and be happy." I left the room to try on my next dress.

Les made a face so I changed into the last one. I use to worry about going to hell then I became a bounty hunter and it drifts in my mind occasionally but my eyes are open to the other side. Sometimes you have to do bad things to help good people. I understood Ranger's code, adopting it as my own. Legally grey, morally right. Sometimes I have issues with the morally grey but I try to do things for the right reasons. I never murdered anyone but I have killed due to self defense. I know killing is wrong but I'd rather live then have my family and friends mourn me.

"The first long blue maxi dress with the knot. Hands down. It works with your hair and brings out your eyes. Pair it with that flower necklace Ranger gave you and some heels."

I looked through my suitcase of shoes. I picked some nice comfortable open toed wedges.

"What about a wrap? I don't want to wear a coat, it's a bit windy here at night."

Les went through my shrugs with me and matched a clutch. I preferred a purse but he made a good point about leaving it unattended in a coat room.

"Your almost as good as Ella although she just knows and hands it to me. Thanks." I gave him a cheeky grin.

"You still haven't told me your thoughts on Ron."

"Nice, hard working, plain, boring, good father, no back bone when it comes to Rachel on certain things. Watch your back at the party, the guests will mostly speak Spanish about you because your White and know you won't understand. Your in luck though because Rachel doesn't either. Her father only speaks a little Spanish even though her mother was fluent, he didn't encourage it in his home. Rachel only learned in school... When she speaks, natives look down at her for her poor accent and pronunciation due to her Latin features. She avoids it as much as possible around family and friends."

"Should I even learn then?"

Les shook his head "it's a different standard. You didn't grow up with Spanish in your home but your willing to learn. The family in Newark will give you a break and accept that. Here in Miami there's such a melting pot with an under cut of elitism that ever native Spanish speakers that are fluent are looked down on because they lack the Miami accent which is more of a pace when someone speaks."

"Silvio said the same thing. I get it."

"If anyone glares at you or gives you a smug look while speaking Spanish, have Ranger feed you some lines."

"Maybe I should just wear an earpiece so you can help me." I was joking but Les was legitimately thinking about it.

"I'll put a ear piece in your purse along with a bug. Text me if you run into issues and I'll turn on the receiver. I'm just sitting at home tonight anyway... it might even be funny to feed you lines to say in Spanish to Ranger." I started laughing, that would be funny.

"Ok but our little secret, don't turn it on unless I text."

"Promise." Les went downstairs to grab the equipment. I made my makeup natural with a hint of a smokey eye. I heard Ranger in the closet. Sometimes I wished I was a man. Ten minutes flat and there ready. Ranger was wearing a casual black suit with a black dress shirt. I strapped my gun to my thigh and packed my clutch with emergency makeup and breathe mints.

I felt Ranger behind me. "Breathtaking Babe."He gently kissed my lips while rubbing small circles on my stomach. "Whenever you want to leave, we leave."

"Did Rachel return your calls?"

"No but she sent a message that she would talk to me after the party. Some line about being too busy to chat due to preparations." What a load of crap, she's a stay at home mom. Ranger and I are both busy with jobs and find a minute to take or make calls.

I grabbed Julie's gift off the table, a Vera Bradley purse stuffed with colorful tissue paper that held the book gift card and the I Pad Ranger got her. Ranger already signed both of our names to the card. I thought that was very domestic of him. It still catches me off guard when he does normal things. We took the Turbo to there neighborhood, parking down the street.

The outside of the house had balloons around the front door like it was prom. The driveway and street was packed with cars. "I thought this was a small family party? That's what Ron said? Is this normal?"

"I haven't been to one in years due to work, deployment or contract."

"There's at least fifty cars here."

"This is nothing compared to a Manoso party." I stopped short.

"When you said a big family... I didn't realize you meant that big." Ranger gave me a small smile. Now I got why Ranger avoided family events. He liked control, knowing every person in the room but not having to do any small talk or be bothered. I'm curious if he would have came even if I didn't score an invite. I had a strong feeling he wouldn't. I rang the door bell. Ranger pulled me close to his side resting his hand on my lower back.

Rachel opened the door with hair perfect and a fake tight smile. She was wearing a very tight low cut black sheath dress paired black gladiator heels. A crystal necklace with matching bracelet and earnings. Did she purposely try and match Ranger?

She opened the front door wider welcoming us. "Ranger." She tired to discreetly check him out but I noticed. Rachel barely glanced at me. Once she closed the door she went back into the kitchen. The home was packed with people in all of the rooms. Micheal Buble was playing softly in the background, I passed the drink table snagging waters for us. Ranger kept his hand on my back picking a far wall as our position.

I dropped Julie's gift on the designated table and noticed the large pile, three tables worth. I had never seen so many presents. Ron came over to shake Ranger's hand and gave me a kiss on the cheek welcoming us to his home. He told me the kids were downstairs playing different party games on the Wii but we were welcome to go down anytime.

Ron introduced me to a few members of his family, all very nice and welcoming like him. He took my shrug and placed it in the bedroom. A lot of the women were checking out Ranger occasionally they would pay me a glance but he was by far the best looking man at this party. A few women tried to come over and talk to him but he just nodded politely or tuned them out when he grew annoyed. I tried to handle the small talk but no one wasn't interested in me.

Throughout the night Ranger just held me close, placing sweet kisses on my head and touching my stomach when he felt uncomfortable. The sub party groups were in full force here. The women were separated from the men gossiping and drinking while there counterparts were watching ESPN together. My least favorite group at the party was the over excited mother's group showing off pictures and only bragging about how amazing there children are compared to the rest of the world.

A few couples were interacting with other couples and then there was me and Ranger. We didn't go to anyone, everyone came to us. Ron and Rachel were good hosts making rounds but Rachel avoided us. I noticed some women glare at me, I wasn't sure if it was out of jealousy, being Ranger's date or because Rachel said something. Those women were the embodiment of the movie M_ean Girls _just grown up to be mean adults. I don't care what people say you never leave high school whether it's at work or a party. There will always be mean people, popular people, nice people, party people, loners and the troublemakers. You can guess the category Ranger and I fall into, all were missing is the lunch tables.

A sexually aggressive woman set her sights on Ranger practically shaking and grinding her ass as she strutted up to him. I'm surprised she didn't have a pole permanently attached to her as she walked. As usual he introduced me and touched my stomach indicating my pregnancy to her to show his lack of interest when she didn't get the first hint.

Other women still called me Ranger's friend even after he introduced me as his girlfriend and spouse, my guess Rachel's doing. A few women only spoke Spanish to Ranger leaving me out of the conversation completely even though Ranger would only speak pleasantries then ask them in English to speak English to both of us. When they refused we would ignore or dismiss them, choosing to focus only on me by kissing my neck and forehead. Ranger wasn't a big public display of affection guy but he was telling the whole room with his actions I was his woman and I deserved to be treated with respect. I appreciated that. When Joe's family got together they mostly spoke in Italian. I knew some phrases and words but not many, Joe never did that for me.

Sometimes Ranger would remind me in my ear that we could leave but it was rude and I wasn't going to give Rachel or her friends the satisfaction. My goal was to at least make it to the cake.

A woman in a tight dress came over and introduced herself as Victoria a friend of Rachel's. "I can tell right away your having twins Stephie your so big! What are you only a few weeks? It's just going to get worse I hear. I don't have children myself." She had a fake laugh "Rather you then me." I glared at her. I knew her name was Victoria so I purposely called her Vickie just to piss her off.

"Vickie, I'm actually almost 17 weeks" I lightly tapped her shoulder in fake pity "Not all women are meant to be mother's, I'll have to thank the big guy upstairs you aren't especially being as flat as you are." I dropped my eyes to her chest briefly. The blood drained from her face. I delivered my response in the same sweet tone she gave me. Ranger coughed into his drink trying not to laugh. She excused herself quickly. Smart.

"I don't meant to abandon our post but the babies are killing my bladder. Do you know where the bathroom is?" Ranger was going to walk me but I told him to just point and grab me some food instead. I did my business, checking myself in the mirror. I might not match Ranger's outfit but I still looked better on Ranger's arm then most of the women here including Rachel. That helped put a smile on my face. I pulled out my phone to call Les.

"Yo."

"Yo, it's not going awful but some people are only speaking Spanish to Ranger, I'd like to know what is being said especially when they try to touch him and flirt with him."

"This shit's gonna be good! Put me in your ear and place the bug in your bra so I can hear. I'll say the Spanish slowly for you just repeat. I'll tell you what I say afterwards."

"Ok but this is a family party, nothing lewd and no bad language. Think more smart and sassy." I tested my ear bud and made my way back to the party.

I saw Ranger back in our spot with a plate of food and a horde of women surrounding him. He looked annoyed but his eyes darkened when he saw me enter the living room. I smirked as he made a path for me to get back to him. The women were speaking Spanish to him while Les was translating. _(Italics will be the words in Spanish)_

Mia started speaking to Ranger_ "If you have some free time we should get together for drinks, speak about business, my schedule is flexible among other things." _She touched his shoulder and gave me an innocent smile like she was talking about the weather. Ranger was about to respond when I cut him off.

I heard Les slowly speaking into my ear "_Rangeman only entertains meetings with high end clients, regardless of how flexible they may think they are, one should always strive to improve especially when lacking_." Ranger whipped his head to me looking surprised then slammed his blank face into place. I wish I took a picture. Priceless. Mia looked surprised I spoke Spanish too.

I kissed Ranger's check and took a olive off his plate. The other three women looked uncomfortable now. The one closest to me spoke up.

"I_ didn't know you spoke Spanish. You must be new to the language, we will speak slowly so you can understand and try not to use big words you haven't learned yet from a car CD yet_."

"_Your pace is perfect, I understand quite well, I was one of the fortunate ones born with brains, beauty and class._"

"Smile big now Beautiful!" Ranger played with my hair checking my ear, fortunately I placed my comm unit on the opposite side. Ranger was trying to dismiss the women with his body language and tone but they couldn't take the hint. I understood he couldn't tell every person to stay away from us. Les picked up on our situation and helped. He told me the next line in English to prepare me then said it in Spanish.

"_Now if you will excuse us, my love and I will check on the birthday girl."_

Ranger started making a path for us. When we got to the door for the stairs he stopped me checking my other ear. "I knew you didn't speak Spanish, although it was very sexy from those lips. Whose on the line?"

"Les... Your pretty smart, I had you going for a minute." Ranger had his mega watt smile then started speaking Spanish.

"Ranger's annoyed I didn't give him a heads up first but fine with it now. He enjoyed the show." I told Les to take a long break since we were going to talk to Julie now. I knocked on the basement door then entered. Ranger raised an eyebrow.

"What were you doing at a party when you turned 14 at someone else's house?"

Ranger had a mega watt smile again " I doubt there doing half of what I was doing maybe what you did." I lightly pushed his chest and strained my hand. Ranger kissed my inner wrist. As we walked down the stairs Ranger frowned at the music playing, asking me the artist.

"Bruno Mars Grandpa." I gave him a cheeky grin.

I took a moment to take in the scene, the basement was all decked out with party decorations, a few scattered couches and a table with kid friendly food. Score. The food upstairs was bland. The kids were barely interacting with each other, either on there cells phones, playing a dancing game on the Wii or singing on a machine. I saw some untouched board games but not much else. There was maybe 10 kids here including Julie's siblings. This party didn't feel like it was about her at all.

"For the record we didn't do this, it was more truth or dare, spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven." Ranger let out a chuckle and kissed my head. Julie heard us and turned around running over from her game.

"Stephanie! Ranger! I'm so glad you came." She gave me a big hug then gave Ranger a small one.

"We couldn't miss the most exciting shindig of the year. Happy birthday!" Ranger said it too. He kept his arm around me pulling me close, he seemed uncomfortable. Trying to diffuse the tension I had us all sit on the couches to talk.

"So how does it feel to be a year older?"

"No different I guess. I get to start high school soon which is cool."

"I heard your awesome at soccer. Is that something you will pursue in high school?"

"I don't know yet, I like real games but I hate wind sprints and running laps."

"Me too. I faked a lot of cramps in gym class to get out of running but Ranger is a pro, he helped me improve and I bet he has some tips for you."

I smiled at him lightly squeezing his hand "Constant repetition, creating a schedule, rewarding yourself when you reach goals and do a lot of push ups to increase your speed." Ok a little stiff but he's trying.

"I like listening to music when I walk. Makes me forget for a while... do you have any plans your excited about?"

"A few but the most exciting one is I want to major in Psychology and maybe Sociology... Did you have a college major before you became a bounty hunter?" As soon as she said "bounty hunter" a few kids perked up and joined our conversation.

"Um yeah, I was a business major then worked for a company after school before I changed careers. Now I'm an investigator." The kids were wide eyed and mesmerized. This never happened to me before it made me nervous.

"How'd you meet Ranger?"

"A friend called him because I needed help with a file when I first became a bounty hunter then he mentored me." Julie looked confused.

"Ranger's a business man? Why would he help you?" I felt Ranger tense next to me. I squeezed his hand. They seriously know nothing about each other.

"Your right he is. And by far the smartest man I know. He owns a private security firm and taught me about different laws and research."

The other kids jumped in with questions about killing people, wanting to see my handcuffs and why don't I wear leather. They all begged for stories. I was caught off guard. After a minute Ranger held up his hand silencing the room.

"It's all confidential." They all said "cool" at the same time. I started need to teach me that trick.

Eventually the kids went back to there phones and games but Julie stayed to talk to us for an hour. She wasn't interested in boys yet but likes _Twilight_ and _The Mortal Instruments Series_ and owns all seasons of _The Vampire Diaries._ She listed a bunch of pop stars she has cd's of and by far Taylor Swift was her favorite. Ranger looked lost but I had a good idea about most of her interests thanks to my nieces.

To keep the conversation flowing I'd ask Julie different things about her life and Ranger would listen. Julie asked to touch my stomach and take pictures with us. Ranger snapped a few of her touching my stomach and her friend Rick took a few of all three of us on Ranger's phone that he would send Julie since she forgot her camera upstairs. Julie was energetic and excited about the pregnancy asking a million questions about the baby that Ranger had to answer. They had a good flow going until Rachel came down with more food and glared at me. The kids all attacked the pizza the moment they saw the boxes. We decided to go back upstairs to check out the adult food but Julie asked that we return before we left so she could give us our party favors she had made.

She was really sweet, I could tell she took after Ron while Rachel's other daughter had Rachel's attitude. We reached the top of the steps and Ranger pulled me into him laying his mouth on mine. It was a hard and needy kiss that made me moan. His tongue was seductive while his hands caressing my back and bottom.

He whispered against me lips. "Your going to be an amazing mother Babe. Thank you for being here."

"No price remember... One more hour." I gave him sexy eyes and lightly bit his lower lip.

I messaged Les we returned upstairs and heard his confirmation in my ear. Ranger may not be best friend's with Julie but today he took the first real step to that bridge that gap. His love for the babies helped him reach out to her in a way he never had before. I was happy for him and could tell he was happy too.

I noticed a majority of the food was gone and the crowd had thinned out. Ranger and I made simple plates, his was all salad and mine was too. I didn't care for the appetizers. I'm just not a fan of cucumber sandwiches, the bruschetta was hard and watery and the pate wasn't safe for me. Looking at the dinner options I noticed a lot of the foods on the table were things I wasn't allowed to eat. I wonder if that was done on purpose... Soft cheese, deviled eggs, deli meat platters, Sushi, chicken with a coffee glaze all over it. Yeah what a coincidence. I rolled my eyes.

Ranger noticed the options too and said we would eat once we left. To a stranger Ranger looked impassive but I could see the anger in his eyes every time Rachel glared at me. I'm not saying she had to design a whole menu with me in mind but come on, it's all the things my doctor warned me about on one table. She couldn't have cooked some BBQ chicken or ordered a pizza? Neither of us wanted to make a scene on Julie's day so we sat in two open chairs eating our plain salads. I was almost done eating when an older couple came to sit on the couch near us.

"Carlos it's been a long time, this must be your new friend." I looked up at the man, he was older, it took me a second to place him. Rachel's father and mother. Prefect.

"And what do you do..." He didn't even know my name.

"Stephanie. I'm a private investigator."

"Who do you work for?" I noticed Rachel join a group near by just to spy on all of us.

"Myself. I own my own business. I don't need a man to support me." I started catering the conversation with Rachel in mind. I placed my plate on the table and took a few sips of water.

"And you have clients?"

"Several. I'm working three cases at the moment." He seemed surprised then tried to make light of my work.

"Bored housewives?" I was reading his body language he was pompous and smug.

"No. The FBI is currently consulting with me to track down a serial killer among other confidential cases. My client's pay for discretion. You'd be surprised the things people try to hide... Right Micheal?" I never ran a background check on Rachel's father but everyone has secrets. I just wanted to see him squirm for being a jerk. Les was laughing in my ear while Ranger was trying to cover him smile with his glass.

"Is that safe in your condition? Hunting criminals?"

"Absolutely. I received excellent self defense lessons, I'm armed and I have a partner everywhere I go. I don't physically take anyone to the police station anymore. I'm not a bounty hunter, I'm an investigator." I linked my arm through Ranger's and sat back in my chair. Rachel's mother, Gwen seemed very quiet. I could tell Micheal ran the house with an iron fist.

"Unmarried as well, do you have plans to change that?"

"Not at this time. How we feel about each other is our business, we don't need a piece of paper to stay together and I don't need his child support. As I said I'm financially sound. We're together because we want to be, not because we have to be Mr. Atwood." Rachel was near by listening, gulping her wine.

"But you live in his home, drive his cars, have his credit cards..." I cut him off at the pass.

"Actually I own my own home, my own car, have my own credit cards and have been employed since I was sixteen... I do freelance for Rangeman on occasion so I have a business credit card for expenses that I've used twice in three years..." I could tell Ranger was annoyed by Micheal so he stepped in.

"Stephanie is very self sufficient. It's a quality I admire most as well as her drive, focus and out of the box thinking. As a bounty hunter she had the highest capture rate in New Jersey and often consults with police solving there cases. She is an asset to Rangeman and if I thought she would accept a full time position I would hire her without a second thought." Ranger was being really sweet. I liked hearing his words about me.

"He's right beautiful, Tank and I over the years encouraged him to hire you and not just in research but sales, he said it had to be your choice." I was blushing bright red. I always felt like some of his assignments were pity gigs even though he said it wasn't. Ranger took the heat of me and placed it on himself now. I think the only reason he was playing nice was because of Julie... but something else I couldn't put my finger on.

"I hear Rangeman is growing and doing well Carlos." Ranger just nodded. Micheal asked a few questions about business then stood. "As one business man to another I suggest you lock this one down before someone else steals her, she's not just decoration after all." Micheal nodded to me and left with his wife to refresh his drink. I think that was a compliment?

Ranger whispered "Te Amo" in my ear. I heard the kids run up and scream for cake. Rachel was just placing it on the table so everyone sang Happy Birthday. Julie blew out the candles then followed the kids back downstairs with cake. When the line died down Ranger got up to get me a piece. Most of the adults had a piece then started to leave. Only about fifteen adults were left drinking and watching TV.

I finished my piece and Ranger's then went to say goodbye to Julie who gave us special party favor bags. Taking those stairs a second time made me have to go to the bathroom again. I asked Ranger to get my shrug and say goodbye to Ron and Rachel. We agreed to meet at the front door so I could do a quick waive to Ron then leave.

I was walking in a hall when Les spoke up "Sounds like it went well Beautiful. You should print those pictures of Julie and you together to hang in your home... might do Ranger some good to look at it once in a while."

"That's my plan..." I noticed a guy coming out of the bathroom drunk and a little unsteady. I moved to the side to let him pass. He looked me up and down giving me a bad feeling while blocking the bathroom door.

"Aren't you a sexy little thing." He was in his twenties with preppy looks. Normally I would just walk away but I really had to go badly. Another minute and I'd pee on the floor.

"I'm pregnant and need to pee. Move."

"I'll join you. Your tits are amazing. I'd like to lick them." He tried to touch me but I stepped back. I grabbed his outstretched hand pulling it behind his back and pushing his face into the wall like Ranger had shown me.

"Do-not-touch-me." I heard Les talking but couldn't make his words.

I moved the drunk away from the wall but kept my hold on him. I walked him a few steps away from the door then shoved him hard away from me, causing him to fall to his knees. Ranger and Ron were already in the hall running towards me. I gave a sorry expression then jumped into the bathroom. I just got my dress up in time.

"Beautiful mic off!"

"Crap!" I started grabbing for my bra. "Sorry!" I turned off the device and groaned. That was mortifying! I washed my hands and came out to Ron standing in the hall concerned and apologetic.

"Are you alright Steph? I'm so sorry. Do you need a doctor?" I looked in both directions. Where was Ranger?

"I'm fine Ron... Where's Ranger?"

"He asked me to make sure you were ok while he got rid of my idiot cousin Jeremy. I didn't know he was trashed, I would have sent him home in a cab if i had..." I understood. I had a perverted idiot cousin too, Vinnie. I held up my hand when I realized what Ron had said.

"You left him alone with Ranger?... Are you drunk!?" I started moving to the front door with Ron on my heels.


	50. Chapter 50

RPOV

I wasn't looking forward to the party today for many reasons including Rachel, her family and friends. I wasn't sure what she had told people regarding Steph but I wasn't going to let anyone gang up or belittle her. Babe would never make a scene or draw attention to herself, that didn't mean I wasn't going to protect her or encourage to leave after a brief appearance if the situation escalated. It was Julie's birthday and important we attend. The moment Rachel opened the door to acknowledge me and not Babe, I knew this night was going to be childish. I have no patience for that.

I hated being here, Babe tried to handle the small talk but women dismissed her or ignored her. I responded in kind. I also gave men glares when they stared at my woman's body. I'm use to women flirting, I barely pay any attention to it anymore then Babe started speaking Spanish shocking me. I racked my mind trying to remember if Slick had reported she was listening to language cds. He didn't. Eventually I realized she must be linked to someone, I assumed Slick. When I realized it was Santos I felt a lot better. He knew about this environment and the history of Julie and Rachel, not many did and I wanted my privacy respected.

I love many things about Babe, her speaking Spanish was now number one. The words flowing from her lips was a major turn on for me. I wanted her right then and there. If we were in anyone else home except my ex wife's then I would have found us a closet or a bedroom to fool around in. I didn't know what to expect when we went down to visit Julie but Steph was so animated with her, the conversation flowed... I was a little jealous. Babe was trying to include me but I was awkward just like the other times.

Then Julie wanted to talk about Team Manoso, I can easily relay pregnancy facts which started our back and fourth conversation melting some of the awkwardness away. One of Julie's friends even took a picture with her hand and my hand on Stephanie's stomach. I knew Babe had a gift of making people feel comfortable allowing them to open up but I never expected her to be the bridge between me and Julie. I kept my life extremely private from Ron and Rachel so I wasn't surprised Julie only thought of me as a business man. To be honest I didn't really want her to know anything else for her own safety. My life was dangerous and complicated, normal relationships don't exist in my world. Not even my relationship with Babe is normal.

I always told myself if one day Julie asked me specifically about my life or why I gave up my rights to her I would be honest. I expect when she turns 18 she will come to me to for that information, being away from her parents and trying to figure herself out as an adult will make her question who she is and who she wants to be.

I noticed the appetizers and entree's and knew right away Rachel was taking some of her anger out on Steph, yet another childish move. I felt like I really didn't know her anymore and began to lose more respect for her as the party went on. If Rachel wanted to be angry with me she should take it out on me, to attack my pregnant girlfriend is a step too far.

I tried to corner Rachel when Babe made her bathroom breaks but she would jump into a group or run off with someone to check something. The moment her parents sat down I knew Rachel had told them her views on Babe and me. I'm not an idiot either, I saw her spy on our conversation. Rachel was always a daddy's girl but he never spoiled her or took a deep interest in her life. Micheal Atwood didn't believe in wasting money and held onto it tightly, for Babe to win a man like him over spoke volumes to her character. Something Rachel herself never accomplished.

Micheal wasn't an easy man to talk to and felt entitled when I first met him. Our first sit down was me telling them Rachel was pregnant. All he cared about what that she was married. He didn't want it reflecting poorly on his family, the man didn't know a damn thing about me or the kind of man I was, if I would take care of her. Her mother Gwen never spoke in her husband's presence unless spoken to first. I always felt a vibe that there marriage was more out of convenience then love.

I grabbed Babe's shrug and went to say goodbye to Rachel and Ron, Rachel ran off to her mother. Pathetic. I was thanking Ron for inviting us when I felt my cell ring. I was offline, I knew it was an emergency. When Santos told me someone was bothering Babe then trying to lick her breasts I ran for the hall in time to see her smash his face into the wall then throw him to the ground. I loved that new fire inside of her. I could tell she was in desperate need to relieve herself sprinting for the bathroom door. I had to hold back a chuckle.

I grabbed the punk kid twisting his arm then ordered Ron to make sure she was ok. We walked nonchalantly out the front door with my hard around his arm in a death grip, any fuss and I would snap it. I saw Mace and Scully jump out of there SUV's to take him from me. I told them to make sure he trips a lot getting home but not in the face. I gave the punk two quick hits to the kidneys then kicked out his left knee causing him to fall in pain. I started moving back towards the party. Babe was running out of the front door in a panic, when she laid eyes on me, relived. I saw her checking my clothes and hands for blood. I wasn't stupid.

I walked over giving her a sweet lingering kiss to the forehead. "See you first thing tomorrow Ron." He nodded and tried to apologize again I just wrapped my arm around my woman snuggling her into my side escorting her back to the car.

"He's alive right? You didn't have to do anything. I handled it myself." She crossed her arms over her chest annoyed.

"You did well but he was drunk. He was a safety concern, children were present. I removed him from the party and got him into a car." So I may have hit him, Babe didn't ask me that. "I shouldn't have let you go to the bathroom alone, he could have hurt you." We sat in the car while I touched her stomach making sure she didn't have any marks on her beautiful milky skin I loved touching. So smooth and soft.

"You can't be angry at me for protecting you, I always will, that will never change." Babe's eyes softened and she sighed. I saw her acceptance of my words realizing I wasn't criticizing her skills or ability, I just wanted her in a safe environment.

"That wasn't even the worst part of my day... Les heard me pee on the bug for like 5 seconds before he spoke in my ear. He freaked out." I barked out a laugh. Babe had a strict I pee alone policy, for Santos to hear, she must have been mortified. These are the things that always brightened my day. She wasn't even trying.

I gave her a whisper of a kiss to make her feel better. "Santos doesn't get much intimacy with women, your his first I bet. It probably freaked him out more then you."

Babe held my hand in her lap on the way back to Rangeman. Luckily the place down the street has the best Chinese food in town. They didn't cook with MSG or use too much salt. Babe normally orders all fried things but asked me to double my order since she didn't work on the last two days. We enjoyed chicken, steamed vegetables, Wonton soup, brown rice and a small fried egg roll as a treat for her. I think she's beautiful but I know she's self conscious about her weight. I was tempted to strangle the people who made rude comments. Steph didn't show any signs of distress right now but I think her food order played a part in how she felt.

I saw her hunger and exhaustion, I made plates for us and agreed to eat in bed with her. That's one of my rules I never broke before unless it aided in sexual stimulation. Steph ate half of her food then dosed off. I didn't want to mention anything to her yet but I had a feeling her doctor was going to tell her to cut back on work. She is literally running herself into the ground most days, getting dehydrated more and more. I have a feeling she will be put on bed rest in the next couple of weeks if she continues. Slick is now in charge of watching that along with supplying her fruits as needed through the day. He's a good man and doesn't bat an eye when I add new duties or increase her standard operating procedures. I never noticed how long her's were but Santos pointed it out to me, 104 pages. The Governor of New Jersey's was 27 pages when we secured events for him on occasion. In my defense 30 of those pages are pregnancy specific, things that aren't safe, things she can't eat, issues to look out for.

Babe still travels to denial land when an issue occurs, I need someone looking out for her well being when I'm not around otherwise I can't do my job effectively. When she delivers I will pull those pages and replace them with a new protocol as needed. Anyone who guard's her has to read it before protecting her. The closer her due date, the more training Slick, Myself, Tank, Ramon and Ace will need to receive in case of an emergency birth or complication. I was also making First Aid and baby CPR mandatory company wide with Team Manoso in mind. Anyone one who came into contact with the twins alone like Mary Lou, Grandma Mazur and my parents would need to take a First Aid/CPR course which I would pay for at a conference room in Rangeman if they wanted to spend time with them. I'm even willing to pay for there time otherwise supervised visits. It seems crazy but I read a lot of how parents and family members don't know what do in emergencies and the child either dies or has lasting effects from a lack of oxygen. I had enough enemies to worry about, I needed to trust the people that I ensured my children too. Ella was the one who suggested it, for her and Stephanie in the first place which made me think of everyone else.

I haven't narrowed my instructors down, I wanted the best not leaving one thing to chance. Birthing classes were another story. My research told me we had to go to a public place and sit with other couples, that wasn't going to happen. I intended to find the best instructor paying for private lessons in a conference room or gym at Rangeman. Babe didn't know that part yet, I wasn't sure how she would take it. We haven't discussed how she wants to give birth and I asked the doctor to not freak her out about it yet until I researched all the options first. I cleaned up our dishes from dinner and held her close.

Sometime in the middle of the night I felt Babe go to the bathroom that wasn't abnormal. She came back and shook me.

"Carlos?"

"I'm up."

"Sorry I just wanted to tell you I think I feel them... it's weird. I thought it was just gas earlier now it feels like a ball rolling around inside of me." I sat up and touched her stomach. I still couldn't feel anything, it would be a few weeks for me. Babe had a dazzling smile on her face. I pulled her back to bed and rubbed her expanding stomach. We were leaving for Trenton later tonight, in a few weeks people would know she was pregnant causing a knot in my stomach. I liked it better here where no one really knew her, giving me peace of mind. I had to dive head first into the security plans for our home, Tank was handling the contractor's schedules already. The fence was the first thing to be built on the entire perimeter then around each individual home. The man fence I wanted massive reinforced walls that went at least 5 feet underground to deter intruders from tunneling to gain entry with motion sensors, cameras mounted on the walls themselves and maybe even electricity it except Babe would get upset if a bird died...The land I had no issue securing, the air was another story. I was thinking of getting a no fly zone from my contacts near the house and the roof and walls of the home would need reinforcing for any impact. That was at least a month of work. My plans seem extreme to most but Babe and I had enemies, we needed every advantage to keep Team Manoso safe. The more I said it the more I liked that name.

I woke at my normal time to workout then focused my mind on the meeting with Rachel. Babe asked me last night to wake her early to prepare and dress. When I asked what time she told me 7 am. That's when I knew how serious Babe was about today. It takes a major situation to get her up before 8 or 9, the woman loves her sleep more then anyone I have ever met.

I didn't want to go into the meeting with a hard edge from yesterday and the gym didn't give me what I needed. After my shower I fucked Babe hard in our bed. It helped me relax and woke her up to get ready with a big smile on her face. Win win. She was adorable after her shower in my robe munching on her Life Cereal straight out of the box, shoving little handfuls in her cheeks like a squirrel.

"Breakfast should be here in ten minutes."

She shook her head "They need food now, there freaking out and love this cereal. I notice when I drink cold water they bounce around. It's weird but cool." Babe carried her box of cereal to the closet to debate her outfit. After two minutes I couldn't watch anymore, I grabbed a chevron dress and some shoes for her. I heard our breakfast being delivered. Marisol gushed all over Babe, Babe just politely smiled. Like me she didn't like a lot of attention. Marisol surprised us both with a bunch of books we could use for the babies.

"These are recordable story books. The babies can hear now so you hook the up to the computer to record your voice into the book and it will read to Steph's stomach during her pregnancy then after when they are born you can turn the pages for them to see and hear the story... Ranger travels so often I thought this would help letting the babies keep up with his voice. Silvio's wife told me all about them." That made me look up. I kinda liked knowing the babies would hear my voice even when I was on missions...it may even help Steph if she was feeling sad or lonely. I decided to record one story in English and another in Spanish for them.

I started looking at the options she got two of each in both languages. _On the Night You were Born, Goodnight Moon, Guess How much I Love You _and a few Doctor Seuss's. We both thanked Marisol and finished our breakfast. Marisol told us she would be back later for the dishes and to pack for us. Babe was still weird about having a house keeper so she did the majority of it last night on one of her bathroom breaks. We made our way to the Turbo with Slick as our shadow to the Maritime's home. Ron told me yesterday the kids would be at his parent's all day.

I wasn't nervous, I made my decision and that was final. Babe was a wreck with her leg bouncing. I moved my hand up her inner thigh trying to distract her.

"You shouldn't start something you can't finish _Big Boy_." I gave her a big smile. Growing bigger by the second.

"I intend to finish, open your legs wide for me." She squeezed her thighs tighter around my hand.

"Your driving, I don't want the just fucked look for our sit down."

"We're in traffic we have plenty of time." I lightly grabbed her chin and kissed her, letting her legs relax allowing my fingers to move further and further. I could smell her arousal.

"The moment were done I'll take you up on it." She moved my hand back down her lower thigh and held it. It was the wiser decision but not the fun option. Although having a massive erection would distract everyone not just me. I thought of something unpleasant, Abuela Rosa in a bathing suit.

"Rachel probably won't want me in the room when you sit down, I'm not offended I can sit in the car or kitchen."

"If Rachel wants to speak privately about her issues, I'll allow her to speak alone but I'd like you in the room when I tell her about the changes. She knows your not a gold digger from our conversation last night, your my partner. If anything happens to me you need to know the situation today as well as my feelings on the subject in regards to Julie."

Babe spoke in a low voice looking out the window. "I hate when you talk like this."

"I do too. We both have dangerous careers we need to be practical and prepared." I parked in the driveway and opened Babe's door. No matter what she wore I found her irresistible. I've never met someone so expressive facially that I could read, rendering most words unnecessary. In the past most women I met were fake, shallow and aggressive. The intelligent ones I didn't find attractive and no one made me smile let alone laugh until Steph. We rang the bell and Ron answered.

"Hey you two. We're in the living room this morning." Ron took our coats and offered drinks, accepting waters. I noticed Rachel sitting on the couch drinking her coffee uncomfortably.

"Ranger, Steph. I'm assuming this is about the late child support? I noticed it wasn't in my account a few days ago. Is there an issue? You made promises to me."

SPOV

Carlos had left the room, CEO Ranger was present. "Yes things will be changing. I've spoken to Ron and noticed Julie's child support isn't being used solely for her needs but yours as well." Rachel tried to defend herself but Ranger cut her off.

"I was willing to switch the checks over to Ron to manage but Stephanie pointed out that would strain your marriage. I've appointed someone as a conservator to issue checks directly or reimburse any money you spend on her needs with a receipt. Either you or Ron can call but it's for Julie's benefit not yours or your other children's. Any unused amount will stay in that account to be used for future expenses like a car, money for books, field trips and school events." Ron looked relieved he wasn't in the hot seat for the account anymore.

"I'm not going to discuss this with her in the room. Everything was fine and now she's knocked up and your making changes. You made promises to me! Where's the honor in breaking them?" Ranger grabbed my hand.

"Stephanie is staying. She needs to hear this conversation because if anything happens to me in the future she will be overseeing the account for Julie making all the financial decisions on my behalf... Don't you dare question my honor. I'm not stealing from a child. Julie is still getting her money every month, the change is because of you. I'm aware of your spending Rachel... Look around this house right now. I'm trying to help you but Julie is my priority like she should be." Rachel tried to speak up but he glared at her.

"I'm also removing the bodyguards by the end of the day. Your complaints are outrageous and unfounded. I've had quality control inspect my men three times and received the same report. The children go to a secure school that Rangeman oversees and they are never left out in the open, only with trusted adults."

"You promised! How can I live in fear my child could be kidnapped again! They need those bodyguards..." Rachel started to glare at me looking like an angry snake. "So because you got her pregnant your going to entrust her to look after your daughter. She will have her own kids! She won't care about Julie... Your making a mistake, she could run off with it all!" My eyes just bugged out, my palm twitching to smack some sense into her.

"One I care for Julie. I have a job. You should think about getting one too. You like spending other people's money but I don't. Financially Ranger's asking me to look out for Julie if that time ever comes. I will because it's his wish and his money. You keep acting like your entitled to it when your not. Newsflash you made him sign the papers Rachel. That's on you. Ranger is still supporting Julie, just not you or your other children anymore" I pointed to Ron "that's your husband's duty.

This meeting is not about your personal feelings for me, your angry about a lot of things then talk to Ranger, Ron or myself about them. Don't go shopping. You made it clear you don't want us to be friends, if I didn't get the message by your phone call then the party yesterday was a cute attempt...here's the thing. I was born in Jersey, we got thick skin and handle mean girls like you on a daily basis. I've face hardened criminals with more talent then that performance you did yesterday. This talk is about Julie's support and nothing else. You don't like me fine, I could care less. All I ask is that you be civil in passing when we see each other." Rachel looked like I just slapped her. I don't think anyone has ever talked to her before like I just did.

"Ron are you just going to sit here and let this happen! Say something! What if Julie gets kidnapped again because of him!" Ranger tensed next to me. That was a low blow on her part and it pissed me off.

"Rachel! How-dare-you. That stalker was not his fault and you know it! I read in the newspapers you were ten minutes late that day. I'm sure you blamed yourself and when that wasn't working for you anymore you switched your anger to Ranger. It wasn't his fault. He takes every precaution imaginable... Do you blame Julie for getting into the car?"

She made a fish out of water face. "Of course not. She was the victim and a child!"

"Exactly. Ranger was an unaware victim of a stalker and multiple states away. You blame him for all your problems when you need to look in the mirror and deal with it. I'm all for denial land but that shouldn't hurt another person or Julie. Your personal issues are not what we are here to discuss, Ranger wants to make changes. It's his right and he's doing it."

She crossed her arms. "I'll keep Julie away from you if you do this."

Ranger looked pissed "I'd cut support across the board. I'm also within my rights to make changes to her trust fund and give her the money when I feel it's appropriate."

Ron spoke angrily "Rachel! Stop it. He's Julie's biological father. The therapist's said it's healthy she knows about him and has him in her life. Julie would be very upset if you just sent them away. She is my child too and I will never cut there connection off!"

Rachel started the water works "How can you defend them! I'm your wife! Defend me! I want to talk to Ranger alone!" Ranger gave me a nod. Ron and I stood to go to the kitchen. He grabbed me a fresh water and sat next to me at the breakfast bar.

"You were a little scary in there. I didn't expect that amount of passion from you."

I shrugged "Life's a little scary Ron. That was a Jersey conversation, when you want to see some real fighting look me up when your in town." Ron was playing with his mug moving his finger around the rim looking for some kind of answer in his coffee.

"Between the two of us... I don't know if I really love her anymore... I've had this feeling for a while." The bottle slipped from my hand spilling all over the floor. Oh shit.

RPOV

I didn't mind talking alone to Rachel if she needed to get something off her chest to make herself feel better. I'd listen. She sat next to me and put her hand on my thigh. I quickly removed it. I didn't know if she was trying to hit on me or looking for sympathy, regardless Babe was the only women I liked touching me... It didn't help that I knew Rachel still thinks about me when she screws her husband to get herself off.

"Please don't do this Ranger, don't let her manipulate you."

I raise my eyebrow at her "Like your trying to do right now? I don't know what happened to you, you've changed a lot."

She shook her head. "Do you understand how hard it was to watch you with her yesterday? Emotionally available, touching and kissing her, rubbing her stomach. Those were all the things I wanted from you." I didn't like where this was going. She never acted like this in the past...I never brought a woman around either. That could be the reason.

"I made it clear from day one how I felt about you. Are marriage was a business arrangement, you knew that. I never loved you... I'm not going to sugar coat that now... Your married to Ron, have been for a long time. If you need to work on your marriage there's counseling or take a long get away together. I will be nothing more then a friend and supporter of Julie."

"You don't get it Ranger, it's not just shopping to make myself feel better, you've seen that school, I dress nicely to fit in with the other parents." I looked around the living room.

"It's more then that and you know it. Look at your house. Those parents aren't in your home on a regular basis and none of those kids last night were from her new school except maybe one. They were her old school friends and the neighborhood kids."

She made a sour face "Do you watch what Stephanie purchases too?"

"This isn't about her but I'm going to tell you something... she worked hard every single day since I met her. She lost her office job three years ago, sold everything in her apartment and became a bounty hunter just to keep a roof over her head. She would rather have only a bed to come home too then take a hand out from me or her family. The clothes she wears are clearance and sales even though she doesn't have too with her money. She won't even take a car from me, let alone pay for an alarm system Rangeman monitors in her grandmother's apartment... Instead of attacking her and being childish, you should use her as a resource to help you. She's my partner and a good person, she deserves the same respect she shows you."

"She wasn't raised like me, my mother taught me to be a wife and mother, care for my home and husband..."

"She was. She choose to rise above that and be her own person. Your angry about my emotional level towards you, our marriage and Scrog. I'm angry about Scrog too. I'm willing to have a discreet bodyguard shadow Julie only. She is the only one ever at risk but she is not a major target. Stephanie is a higher on the list then Julie. Emotionally things will never changed between us... Steph understands me unlike my own family. I can't just make that happen with anyone else. I'm sorry you suffered all those years, you should have said something but you need to get help. If you can't afford therapy after insurance submit the bill to the man handling Julie's account to reimburse any therapy the family needs but I can't dwell on this subject anymore. I have my company and life with Steph that needs my undivided attention."

Rachel started balling and grabbing tissues. I didn't know what to do. Comforting her like I would Steph felt wrong, I didn't want to send mix signals. I went to the kitchen to grab Ron. I could tell by Babe's body language something was off. I told Ron, Rachel needed him and he sighed then went into the living room. I heard Rachel immediately fighting with him.

"This is awkward. Were trapped in here without an exit...Maybe we can crawl out of that kitchen window." Babe went to check the window and started raising it. I thought she was kidding at first until she was looking for something to help her step up on the counter. I pulled her back.

"No. We will just sneak out quietly." As soon as we entered the living room both stopped and faced us.

"I'm sorry I left you in the kitchen to hear...My wife and I need to speak in private. If we have any questions about the new agreement I will call you." Ranger nodded and handed him the new paperwork. Rachel was still crying in her hands.

I gave him a sad smile and whispered "thank you... get back into therapy." He gave me a sad nod and we left. I took a deep breath as soon as the front door closed.

"That reminded me of a few throw downs I had with Morelli. All that was missing was my laundry basket, a few Italian hand gestures and Morelli hitting a lamp in frustration." Ranger wrapped his arm around my waist and kissed my forehead.

"It's over. Let's move on with our lives."


	51. Chapter 51

SPOV

I understood Ranger just wanted to move on from this. Like me he didn't like crying women if he could avoid it. We were both more reserved in our emotions with others. In his mind his financial help to Julie was the only relationship he wanted with the Maritime's, as long as he got his visits and informed Rachel of the changes it was a finished job for him.

I could tell he didn't want to discuss it anymore at this time. I would respect that for now but I had a feeling this wouldn't be our last sit down meeting. When Ron dropped his bombshell to me, I felt the wind knocked out of me. Who says that to a stranger! Why he felt compelled to tell me I don't know but I wish he kept it to myself. I heard Ranger in my mind telling me not to get involved that it was there business but stupid Stephanie didn't shut her mouth. Stupid Stephanie just listened and gave her opinion.

Once we cleaned up the spilled water I asked Ron to explain, it's been thirteen years, all marriages hit a rough patch. He told me in the beginning it was amazing with her and Julie then with each addition of a child they talked less and less. Eventually they only talked about there home or kids to each other. They went out occasionally for dinner alone but sat in silence eating after running out of things to discuss since Rachel doesn't like hearing about Ron's work. Ron confessed she often criticizes him about little things but they never fought in front of the kids. Early in there marriage they established that unsaid rule. My heart went out to him a little but he has three kids who need him. Leaving Rachel here alone with her current issues would make everything worse for everyone.

Ron understood which is one of the reasons he stays day after day. Ron missed the wife that use to call him at work just to hear his voice, now she sends a text to pick up something like toilet paper on the way home. It made me wonder if that would happen to me and Ranger then I realized we both had separate lives and our life together. We will always have something to talk about and Ella buys our toilet paper. I didn't expect anymore kids after I deliver either, I hadn't spoken to Ranger about that but I feel two is enough for me. I only expecting one baby at the most when I pictured the future, I couldn't handle a bunch of kids with my work and be happy.

When Ron mentioned some of her so called friends have propositioned him for no strings attached sex I could have fallen off my chair. If any of my friends did that to Ranger I'd kill them. He assured me he never considered taking any of the offers, he believed in his vows and respected his wife and children to not be that kind of man. But he told Rachel so those people wouldn't be welcomed over and she brushed it off like the person was making a joke he took the wrong way. She said everyone knows he would never be unfaithful to her.

I could tell Ron loved Rachel but wasn't in love with her. He mentioned one of his neighbor's in the middle of a divorce who told him he knew his marriage was over when he could picture himself without his wife. It made him reevaluate his life and he was on that path as well. If Ron didn't have any children I would tell him to just get divorced or separate but he did. Rachel needed a support system until she was back on her feet and Ron doesn't want to be without the kids daily. That's the thing he would miss the most her said, not Rachel. I asked if this was because of the kidnapping, he told me no, it just added a more intense shopping behavior he noticed. When confronted by him, Rachel turned mean or would start to cry. I was so tempted to tell him to document everything and file for physical custody so he would be happy and have the kids but Rachel would be destroyed. The only option I saw right now was to at least try and work out his issues with her for a little while.

I thought about my divorce, it was so nasty, I didn't want that for them. I thought of all the things I heard people tell me to try and I just rolled my eyes as I packed my car to leave. Mary Lou told me she likes to write down all the things that Lenny ever did that hurt her then shared that with him. Once resolved it was put to bed, she couldn't keep bringing it up or reliving his past mistake. I've heard rules about fighting fair and not taking unfair shots at one another was important too.

It made me think Ranger and I should establish our own rules. I mentioned to Ron that he and Rachel should try new things together sexually, try to find that spark again. It wasn't Ron's business to know but regular sex with Ranger has made me very happy and less moody. Couple's therapy would be important to air out their disagreements but find someone they both liked and felt comfortable sharing everything with, not to hold back. I felt if Rachel was told she needed to try and change or Ron would separate from her maybe she would cut the crap. I thought about Joe. He broke up with me and gave me an ultimatum. I made my choices, he regretted it. Sometimes separation is a good thing. We got rid of the unhealthy part of our relationship to be friends.

I told Ron to try and date his wife again, go away for the week and leave the kids with his parents, if it was too much Ranger and I could take Julie. Ron was still surprised I cared for Julie, I practically just met her. I did. I could care for her because she was Ranger's daughter and we were kidnapped together. That experience creates a small bond most people wouldn't understand.

"I've been thinking... I want to establish some boundaries in our relationship... we already agreed on you not shutting me out and me trying not to run, monogamy but after seeing Ron and Rachel, I want us to fight fairly with each other... I also want sex to be a priority not chore. If your feeling it get stale tell me. I want us to make time for each other just like our zoo day, it doesn't have to be extravagant, we could go to the beach for a few hours or out to dinner. I just don't want to stop dating each other to the point we turned into what we witnessed."

Ranger raised an eyebrow in question. "I agree but you need to tell me when things aren't ok, when your upset or angry and not hold things against me for years." I just got the jist of his talk with Rachel. I can understand now why he was silent.

"Deal."

Ranger fob into the gate parking in his spot. "Do you have ten minutes to go upstairs?" I licked my lips and ran a flirtatious finger down his chest.

Rangers eyes darkened "I have all morning for you."

We both jumped out of the car practically running for the elevator. Ranger pulled me against him in the car while scrambling the feed. I rubbed my bottom against his bulge, his hands moving slowly under my shirt, teasing and tweaking my nipples. I increased my grinding into him. The doors opened. Ranger pulled me into the apartment like a man on a mission straight to the bedroom.

We each took off our own clothes, he let me push him on the bed. I kissed down his stomach dipping my tongue into his belly button then moving further. I gave him a gentle open mouth kiss on his tip, widening my lips, moving further down his impressive erection. I could feel every vein. I hollowed my checks adding more suction, increasing my speed. Ranger gently laced his hand into my hair, thrusting his hips upward into my mouth. He never took his eyes of me. I used my hand to aid me, when it was wet enough I used my finger to stimulate his prostate.

It's rare Ranger losses control, doing double duty made him lose his shit. He was lightly moaning then speaking random Spanish. I knew he was close by his breathing. His entire body was tight and tense. I licked and sucked while adding a second finger. I used my other hand to give him a tug. That set him off into my mouth.

Ranger grunted loudly. His body jumped off the bed during his release. I let his body relax then removed my fingers. I gave him a few sweet little licks and kisses before wiping my mouth with my fore arm. Ranger was breathing heavy lost in his pillow. I took a break to wash my hands and arm. When I got back Ranger hadn't moved an inch. I felt pretty proud of myself.

I straddled his hips and kissed his chest. Ranger reached under my arms pulling me close to his lips, our tongues dueling for dominance while his fingers were inside of me. He flipped me over moving down my thighs, licking and sucking. He gave me two doomsday orgasms before I begged him to be inside of me.

Ranger hoovered at my opening, our eyes locked on each other. "This will never be a chore between us Babe." He slammed inside of me. We were like wild animals in a sweaty pile of limbs. Carlos was right. I would never get tired of this, this was one thing I knew we excelled at together.

Eventually we had to get up to shower making out like teenagers soaping each other's body. I had to remember today. I took a mental picture of us just like this. I knew everyday wasn't going to be a good day, inevitably we will have a major fight. Regardless of the argument this memory will help me not run as far, if I ever do. I'm still a work in progress, impulse control is my problem.

Seeing Ron and Rachel's marriage made me kinda happy I wasn't married. I liked that Ranger and I were together because we wanted to be and didn't have to be. I didn't know many happily married couples except Mary Lou and Lenny and my cousin Shirley and Eddie. Otherwise I'd probably write marriage off completely. I know I'm not ready anytime soon and I don't think Ranger is either. Spending the morning with an ex wife can make you remember the bad times, I know I do when I see Dickie's.

"Babe our flight leaves at 8 pm. I need to sign off on some papers downstairs. Santos wants once last dinner at 630 here before he drives us to the airport."

"Kay. I'm going to make sure I didn't forget anything then work a little in the living room." Ranger gave me a kiss on the forehead then disappeared. I felt bad about the dirty bedding so I stripped everything and placed it into the hamper to wash. I checked every nook and cranny, Marisol was as efficient as Ella.

I reviewed my notes from the past few days. _Erotic Passions_ was a dead end. They barely knew Winnie and couldn't have cared less about her death. They didn't know anything personal about her. I crossed them off my list. I sent an email to confirm my area search with Trent tomorrow since he was nice enough to tell me the weather would be good. It also gave me a chance to discuss the issues he was having. I ran the searches but needed to read the reports.

Carmel contacted me wanting a meeting as soon as possible. I explained I was out of town finishing up a case so she was fine with Skype. I told her I was checking into a few different leads but I'd have answers for her in a week then the costs of my services. Carmel didn't bat an eye and started writing the check to me as we spoke to mail tomorrow. I knew her husband had cheated on her a month ago according to Rory's Facebook that didn't mean he was cheating on her now. I needed to confirm that tomorrow. I also wanted conformation Scott was the father of Rory's baby.

Slick offered to plant a GPS on his car to know is whereabouts and I agreed. I needed the money shot. I liked Carmel a lot during our session. She seemed independent, focused and caring. I hated having to break the news but she deserved to know. Having pictures would also help in a divorce case if she decided to file for fault. I heard my cell ringing with Mary Lou's ring tone.

"Yo Lou, what's new?"

"I just heard something juicy... Joe's mom and Grandma Bella had Joe over to dinner the other night to cheer him up, they think he's upset over his break up with Ella not you. Anyway they sprung a date on him." I grimaced. My mother did the same thing for years, thanks to Dave Brewer being a psycho killer that mostly stopped. Joe needed to get back on the horse anyway.

"Good for him. Those types of dinner's suck though. My mother tried everyone on me including Bernie Kuntz. At least Joe's a cop he can make a fake excuse to escape."

"Oh no, he didn't escape this girl. Fiona is full Italian, likes to travel to Italy to visit family, lives near Cranberry, 25, perky, and has a job as a substitute teacher. Since that dinner he took her to Marcella's." My jaw dropped. Joe never took me anywhere that nice ever. Only Pino's. I was annoyed. I could care less who he dated but he was already treating her better then he did me and we were together most of the three years.

"Good for him. I've been telling him to move on for over a month... I'm happy with Ranger, I want him happy too."

"I know, just give him some time. He pictured his future with you... think if the shoe was on the other foot and it was Ranger." I'd be devastated, heart broken, in the fetal position and maybe move out of Trenton to avoid seeing him with another woman. I'd like to say in that situation I'd be friends with Ranger eventually but I'm not that mature. It would take a long time and a lot of avoidance.

"I have, trust me. We aren't flaunting anything especially in front of Joe."

"How are the Bat babies?" I laughed. I loved that name.

"Ranger hates that name for them, he prefers I ask people to call them Team Manoso, there good. I feel them moving as we speak."

"You sound good, it reminds me of the old you from high school. Happy and secure. I'm shocked no one knows your pregnant still. Everyday I expect to hear it from someone's mouth."

"It helps people are afraid of Ranger and I warned every person I told I would keep them away if they spill. I'm doing good hiding in baggy clothes with jackets for now, in another week or two I'll have to watch where I go. I'm bummed I won't be going to the mall as much, that was a majority of my cardio. Although it gives us an excuse to hit King of Prussia mall over the next few months."

Lou and I talked about her kids, Lenny, same old same old. She mentioned looking for another part time job because she wasn't happy doing the books at the dealership anymore. The owner's son was also a complete jerk. I told her I'd keep my eyes open. It was almost three and she had to pick up her kids. We promised to talk again in a few days.

It was almost dinner time. I prepared my thank you gifts for Marisol and Les, they both went above and beyond this trip for me not just in gifts but help. When I purchased my attire for Julie's party I found a picnic basket complete with cutlery, plates, napkins and a bottle of wine for her and her husband. I imagined her having a mini date with him on the beach.

Les was getting a basket with two boxes of condoms, the board game _Apples to Apples_, a big container of bacon spread, so he won't have to cook bacon when hung over and _Hair of the Dog_. Slick swore by it, it was an alcoholic concoction, amber in color for any hangover. The men in his unit always drank it. I thought it was gross. I personally liked my large fries and Coke.

RPOV

I was on a high since Babe got me off although I tweaked my back from coming too hard. Another sign I'm getting older. The pain was annoying enough that I had to stretch on the ground once I hit my office. I loved how insatiable Steph was right now thanks to the pregnancy. It wore me out most nights in a good way.

The meeting this morning could have gone better, I'm sure an issue will arise in the future but Ron seemed like he was going to get them into therapy based on what I heard Babe whisper to him. One good thing that came out of today was the realization we needed to setup boundaries for our relationship, it made me feel Babe wanted to be invested for the long haul. I heard a distinctive knock and knew it was Santos disturbing my routine.

"Enter."

"Hey..." He looked towards my desk then noticed my back flat against the ground. Santos had a curious smile.

"What's wrong? You seemed fine this morning?"

"Fine. Stiff. What do you want?"

"Need you to look over some of these resumes that came in, since we promoted two of the contract workers to full time to replace our bad seeds we need to replace them now. I narrowed the list down to four. I don't know if Pablo's gonna work out in the long run, I want to be ready with a stand by...you want help?" No. I want you to go away.

"No. Give me a minute." I got up and felt better, just a little tight in my lower back. I cracked my neck then sat in my chair.

Santos had a big smile. "You have a sex injury don't you? It's the same spot I had..."

"Shut up. It's none of your business."

"Damn. Sweet, sexy with those legs, I bet a wildcat in the sheets too." I glared at him.

"Watch yourself Santos. My woman and my bed is a thin line your walking. Don't-push-me. She's not some disposable bimbo, your speaking about the mother of my children." Always trying to egg me on or annoy me.

"I know, I'm sorry. I like her a lot, she's good for you. I like talking to her, she makes me laugh... I'm actually going to miss you guys. You should try to talk her into moving here, otherwise plan visits both ways." I nodded. I doubt Babe would leave Trenton anytime soon. I looked at the four men, two I had served with in the last five years they weren't a good fit they lacked focus and skills. I gave a green light for him to interview the rest.

"Be straight with my cuz. Are you going to marry her?"

I rubbed my hand over my face. "It's complicated. I've debated over the years for many reasons but right now I do. I've had the ring for years since she was kidnapped by Con and I thought she was dead in a kitchen cabinet. Then I went on some bad missions and put the ring in my safe. Julie got kidnapped and I definitely didn't want to put anyone else at risk... She wormed her way in despite my effort to keep her out...She had a bad first marriage and doesn't want to get married because she's pregnant. It's not helping she knows a lot of unhappy couples and works on cheating cases either. It's not a good time for her to be asked. I can't spoke her by proposing."

"That's tricky...use Team Manoso. Romance the hell out of her, give her a big rock then put the twins in an outfit that says Marry Me. It's sweet but cute." I pulled out a pen to take notes. That was better then my other ideas.

"You said she surrounded by unhappy marriages then have her spend time with the happy ones. Kinsey would be a good resource for a couple's dinner now before you blow me off think about it. You can chat with him but still be your quiet self and Steph can speak to both see how they are happy. I suggest your parents too although I don't think you want Steph spending too much time with your dad. Who knows what he would tell her, no matter your success he brings up your mistakes...Same situation with your sisters except they would tell embarrassing stories and try to boss you around... Mary Lou is happily married, have a date night with them." I've never done a couples date night. I don't even know what that entails. Santos picked up on my unease.

"Yes there not your usual type of crowd but you mentioned Mary Lou was Steph's support team. Use her. Let her know your plan and ask her to help Steph in that direction. Set up a movie night at there home wouldn't have to chat, just sit with Steph like you usually do.

Hmm her trust issues will be the hardest. I've been burned before I get it. She will need time and you need to act like she is the most beautiful woman in the world no matter how big she gets...watch yourself in any questionable situations. I know your not a cheater but certain clients get out of hand 't even let it be a question for her. Shut it down fast.

I think asking will be the easy part, she will say yes, actually getting her to make a wedding date will be the challenge. Build off of the proposal momentum. Ask her to get married later that day or the next day then have everything in place, Ella can get a rack of gowns for her to choose from... Set something nice up in your backyard that way it's private but secure and invite the important people like me of course. I can carry the twins down the aisle since I doubt I'm your best man again. I think it's a rule you can't use the same best man twice."

"You were more of a witness then my best man but your right. I'd ask Tank."

"I need notice to throw you a bachelor party." Santos wiggled his eyebrows. He must have hit his head this morning in the gym. Babe would never marry me if that happened. I wasn't interested in bimbo's either.

I gave him a firm "No."

Santos sighed deeply. "Girls like romance and all that stuff. Don't give her a justice of the piece like Rachel, do it right this time. Have Ella plan it and ask Steph what she wants to happen. I doubt she wants to spend months planning anything, she doesn't seem the type. She mentioned the beach so maybe the Point Pleasant safe house for your honeymoon and have someone watch the twins that night or for a few days. You'd be alone but close by."

"Decent strategy...I was hoping to get married before she delivers."

Santos shook his head "You can try. I doubt many women want to try on big white wedding gown pregnant. I'll feel her out over the next few months to give you a heads up on her feelings about marriage but you can't rush this. Does she know about the security measures for the compound?"

"No we're going over it when we arrive in Trenton tonight, she will only know about some of the house adjustments. I don't want her scared by explaining every little thing and the reason. Babe still see's the world as a mostly safe place I don't want to take that from her. The reinforcing will be kept between Tank and I. She will also try and use more of her money and I want to pay the cost. I'm the bigger target.

The system, camera placements, sensors, panic room, she will be privy too as well as the fencing around the home itself. Everything else including the perimeter walls I'll only tell her about if she asks specific questions. I don't want her to feel trapped but I need her secure. I'm making sure everything is eye appealing and normal looking, she may not even see the difference."

We finished up the paperwork then enjoyed a quick dinner with Steph. I didn't know she bought thank you gifts and signed our names, it was a nice gesture. I could tell Santos was touched by her thoughtfulness although the long hug was unnecessary in my opinion. Santos carried Babe's bags to the garage then drove us to the airport. He walked us to the stairs.

"Don't be a stranger beautiful. I want calls and emails now. I'll visit you when your pad's done." He hugged her tight again while she kissed his check. I never saw Santos like this with anyone except family. I never expected him to accept her so quickly.

"Try to stay out of trouble Les."

Santos winked at her. "Trouble's my middle name."

SPOV

I watched Les and Ranger fist bump then do a man hug. Slick was already on board reading a book. I gave one last finger waive then took my seat. Ranger checked in with the pilot then sat down. I pulled his arm around me, nuzzling his neck, breathing in his scent. I hated flying.

"Tank called me around lunch he seemed happy. You didn't tell me he was our new neighbor. He said he loved the house next door and the area...I think this means he is getting serious with Eve. Might be fun with him next door, having BBQ's in the summer and can watch Higgins if were away. It will also let you sleep better at night having him next door...I miss having neighbors." I sighed. I loved the crazy old people at my old apartment, they were quirky like me.

"Did Tank tell you anything about her?"

"No. I ask but he shuts me down. I tried some interrogation techniques but he's a hard nut to crack. I'm curious to see his plans for our home...he mentioned months before we could move which is weird since all we needed was some walls and a security system?" Ranger had a blank face on.

"It's more then that. The panic room as well as the bathroom addition in the basement will take a few weeks and the windows will be switched out. It's not good to move until they complete the work. Painting and changing light fixtures, the fumes aren't good for you." That made sense. I just wanted to move. I liked Rangeman but it wasn't home to me.

"What day do you estimate moving?"

"Maybe March if we agree on our home plans tonight without many changes, the contractors could start in two weeks. The wall going around the entire property line of our home will take the most time. Two acres isn't small."

"I just don't want to move in seven months pregnant, unloading clothes and boxes. I'm getting more and more exhausted in the middle of my days."

"Ella will help. Luis is doing the painting. I'm interviewing an assistant to help Ella tomorrow. He or she will take Ella's duties when Ella is at our home."

"She was ok with that?"

"Yes. She wants to be included in our home and be our babysitter."

My heart hurt for her. "Ella told me her son died in a car accident a long time ago... I can understand how she wants to help me. She said she wished she had more children. I just don't want to take advantage of her or have her feel like this new assistant is on her turf."

"Your not taking advantage, she is well compensated and makes our lives easier so we can focus on our work and each other. She won't come everyday, just a few times a week and order groceries. I'm also including her in the selection process, she will test people out with her before I hire anyone." That made me happy.

"I forgot to tell you. I think Joe has a new girlfriend according to Mary Lou and my voice mails. She's ten years younger, his mother told everyone she's ready to settle down and have lots of babies since her eggs are so fresh... It must be serious, he took her to an expensive restaurant."

Ranger smirked "Good. He needs to move on, I'm not letting you go." Ranger grabbed a blanket covering us both. I snuggled back into his neck.

"The babies are the size of onions this week, swallowing and sucking there thumbs. I scanned the book today but it's a lot of information to take in and my possible symptoms this month are gross."

"It's natural, it doesn't matter to me Babe... I thought we could see my parents this week." What! My eyes widened.

"Your ready for that?"

"It's best to get it out of the way. We need to have a long talk before we go and this isn't the place." Ranger looked towards Slick. I understood.

"I'm excited, I want to see baby pictures of you. Were you a big baby?"

"I think around 6 pounds."

I groaned "I hate going to the doctor! On the other hand I'm dying to know the gender. Marisol thinks at least one is a boy because I'm carrying low." Ranger shook his head and told me that was a myth.

Eventually we landed safely in Trenton. The pilot opened the door and lowered the stairs. The wind was bitter cold making me rethink our return. I was fully covered and still shaking. Tank was standing against his Black SUV arms and legs crossed.

I smiled. "Well Hidey-ho Neighbor Tank...no sign, no balloons?" I gave him a cheeky grin.

His blank face slid into place when I referenced _Tool Time_. "Too damn cold B_aby Mama._ Get in the car before your a Plum Popsicle." I made a sour face. I didn't like that name one bit.


	52. Chapter 52

SPOV

Ranger took over the driver's seat so Tank could catch him up on Trenton. Slick and I sat in the back quietly. I didn't notice at first but this wasn't Tank's SUV, it was a fleet car and he was very particular about what he drove. I decided to ask.

"Some idiot slid into me yesterday, not major damage but a good ding. I was suppose to get it back from Al today but he was behind." Tank seemed grumpy.

"You know what they say..._you can't fight against the universal balance. Without the despair of today we can't experience the joy of tomorrow._"

Tank turned in his chair to look at me. "Your quoting Buddha to me?"

"No...Kung Fu Panda." I gave him a cheeky grin. The car burst into laughter.

Slick spoke up. "My money would have been on a fortune cookie." I rolled my eyes.

"I watched it earlier while I ate left over Chinese food, it seemed appropriate and his butt slam reminded me of Lula's signature move... for a kid's movie it answers a lot of life's questions... Any way how's Rex? Your messages were vague."

"He's fine. He runs on a squeaky wheel then shove's food into his mouth. I don't get the allure, a cat at least plays with you."

"Low maintenance."

After our arrival to Rangeman we sat at the dinning room table. I felt dead on my feet already but looked over the plans checking sensors and camera placements. Ranger added a gun safe and marked where he wanted panic buttons. I saw the approximate marked areas for hidden weapons which would be secured in different lock boxes only accessed by a fingerprint scan and code.

I thought it was bit much but they assured me the lock boxes and guns would be well hidden and safe for children in the house. I went along with it but reserved the right to remove them later on. Ranger agreed. I asked for a few hidey holes in my closet and emailed them pictures of what I wanted. Violet's closet was my dream.

Tank mentioned the panic room would be hidden by a movable bookcase just like we had discussed. I was excited! I started dosing when Ranger nit picked minor details, deciding bed was more important for me and letting them work.

I woke up just how I feel asleep, alone with my pregnancy pillow. I grabbed a quick shower then started to layer my body with long sleeved shirts, sweaters, a thick coat and my Rangeman boots. Today wasn't as cold as yesterday although Miami was a lot nicer. I knew Ranger had interviews for Ella's assistant and contract workers today so he would be in the building. I topped my outfit off with a hat, scarf, gloves then grabbed a muffin on my way to the garage.

Slick was in his winter Rangeman attire loading supplies, a bunch of wilderness gear, a cooler and thermos.

"Ella made us lunch and hot chocolate." My day was already looking up.

"And the toilet paper?"

"Not many places to pee in the Pine Barren's... You know how to pop a squat right?"

I felt horrified. "No! I didn't even go to summer camp."

Slick had a big smile. "Today is going to be interesting for you. I will try to get you to a real bathroom, I make no promises."

I nodded. It wasn't ideal but I'd suck it up. It wasn't easy for a woman to pee in normal circumstances outside, add pregnancy and I didn't know what would happen. I silent a silent prayer I would always have a bathroom near by today.

"We're meeting Trent in Yardville first, the small patch of woods for Dalia Cooney the recent divorcee. I didn't get a feeling she was his victim. Then we can go to Mercer County Park and that field near Lizzie Tyson's home."

Slick nodded. "I added the tracker on Scott's car this morning, you can view it from your laptop now."

"Thanks. I'll check his location periodically but he will be my focus tomorrow. Which location do you think we may find something?"

"Either the park or Pine Barren's would be my choice. Depending on what we find then we can search that woman's home."

I shook my head. "I know dogs are amazing but it's been a long time, I'm worried we won't find anything today." Slick parked my SUV next to Trent's sliver Explorer. I saw his picture in my background check but he looked like a lumber jack today with a thick beard, heavy jacket and a red plaid shirt underneath. His eyes were honey brown and kind.

I went to introduce myself. "Stephanie."

"Trent."

"This is Slick my partner." Both men shook hands. I grabbed my work bag and thermos of hot chocolate.

"Stephanie this is Camden my German Shepard and Clint my Golden Retriever. I ask you don't pet them or give them any food or attention while they work." Both were beautiful male dogs that wore warm vests. We huddled to make our plan of attack, Slick was in charge of navigation. He had his gps to monitor our coordinates as well as a compasses and maps for back up. I looked at the pack on his back, it was massive.

"What's in there?"

"I didn't know what we would come into contact with or what we may find, so I packed an ax, branch cutters, First Aid kit, extra food, water, evidence bags, binoculars, Snake Shot, for anything poisonous we may stumble across, sunscreen, a lighter for a fire, flare gun with extra rounds, emergency tent with two blankets, a satellite phone, two way radios, energy food like trail mix, flash lights, water purifier and mini shovel."

I was speechless. I'm sure he had other things in the 50 pound pack he didn't tell me in front of Trent.

"I brought my work bag, a pair of sunglasses and hand sanitizer. I noticed you forgot to pack that." I elbowed him in the arm and he smiled. We both knew I was not the preparation type, good thing he was. I noticed Clint smelling the ground while Trent checked out the main area, noticing the soil, vegetation and bug populations. He stopped often to take a closer look at certain sections."

"Is there any chance it's been too long and the dogs can't smell a body?"

Trent didn't take his eyes off the area to respond to me "Camden found a body that was four years old of a man wrapped in plastic six feet under concrete just by some dried up blood on a tooth. This process takes patience. They are both smelling for different fiber scents too. Natural fiber's decompose, synthetic's don't." Wow. That shut me up.

"Can you explain some things that could help us narrow down areas in the future?"

"You need to be aware of your surrounding's." I looked at Slick to see if he put Trent up to that. That's one of Ranger's favorite things to say to me. Slick just shook his head and laughed.

"We're doing a cold search today, which means no witness or criminal on scene to question. We're doing a grid search once we find something odd or unusual, displaced dirt, grass that's an odd color, bugs concentrated in one area." Trent took of his hat to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "I had a case once where a person was buried near some blue Hydrangea bushes with just a handful of pink Hydrangea's in one area. I didn't need a Clint to tell me a body was hidden there, I knew because the ph levels. Blood has a high ph level that changes the composition of some plants. Camden and Clint agreed once they smelled the area. Sometimes when the dogs smell something in the water I take a water samples and temperature readings... It's hard to explain because there are so many things to look for, that's why were a team." I could tell Trent was very passionate not just about this work but his animals. It was a fascinating experience watching them interact in different environments, it took Ranger's awareness of his surroundings to a new level for me.

"So when Camden and Clint lay down they found something. Then what?" I felt like I had a case of pregnancy brain today. The cold air was sucking all my energy from my body.

"Usually the cops are with me, otherwise we call them and they dig very gently, removing the dirty slowly. Depending on what the dogs find forensics can tell a lot about the person based on there bones. Stress fractures for example can tell an investigator if they struggled or were bound before they died and bugs can aid with the time of death." Hmm digging.

Trent stopped and looked at me putting both hands on his hips. "No. We aren't digging up the bodies ourselves, we need to preserve the crime scene so the cops can maintain the chain of evidence. If we dug around we could leave DNA or mess up the bones messing up the case."

I laughed. "I wasn't going to suggest we..."

He looked me up and down. "I could tell you were thinking about it." Ok for like a second, I needed to work on my blank face.

"Your not a nature person either. You should get over that. As an investigator your going to have to be in places like this more times then you think. You should learn the basics and not be afraid. You keep looking ahead then at your feet like something will jump out. It's cute."

I frowned "How do you suggested I do that?"

"Survivalist trying, hiking, camping. Take your pick, although your partner has some kind of training looking at his supplies, you can't count on him, he could break his ankle or get attacked by a bear then you'd be alone." I stopped short checking for any bear sightings. Lucky I couldn't have my period right now to attract any.

"I was told by my boyfriend bear attacks are rare. He seemed pretty sure to me."

"Your boyfriend didn't hear about the overpopulation of Black Bear's in New Jersey however it is winter so most are hibernating right now. Technically he didn't lie to you. Yes at this moment it would be rare, Spring, Summer and Fall they will attack unprovoked especially near a cub."

I looked at Slick, he was trying not to look at me to confirm Trent's words. I felt the blood drain out of my face. "This is why I stay out of the wilderness, if the bugs don't eat you alive the bears will."

RPOV

Our housekeeper ad was advertised online and in the paper, not with our company name just an email to submit resumes. Our contract worker resumes were more from word of mouth. We preferred to hire men out of the military. They were in good shape, aware and could take orders without question. Other times I hired ex police officers or criminals if they had excellent skills. I liked having a well rounded unit in each building making our systems and security better.

Tank and I moved downstairs to the conference room on the ground floor to conduct our interviews. I browsed the stack and saw he scheduled the housekeepers first. Then before lunch men to fill the contract worker openings to call them in as needed, mostly the next few months so I could move men off patrol to watch the construction crew at the new compound.

I prefer Tank in these meetings not just because he is a part owner but a good judge of character. These people will report to both of us. I valued his opinion. I had print outs of each job descriptions for the perspectives to read, cuts down on the chit chat.

I heard Eric knock at the door alerting us to the first interview. A petite blond in a tight skirt and high heels walked in stopping short when she saw me. Her eyes roamed by body and I could tell she was turned on by her breathing. I ignored her and looked at her file, 36, divorced and currently working for a wealthy family in Princeton. Tank asked a few general questions but her body language of crossing her legs letting her skirt ride up told me she was more interested in me then the position. I always give each candidate at eight minutes to impress me but I usually know in two if the meeting will continue. So far Babe holds the record with one minute.

If I was Steph I'd roll my eyes at this woman. It's not that I didn't notice beautiful women but they held no appeal to me for a long time. Steph made me feel things I never imagined. No other woman would match her in anyway to me. At eight minutes my suspicions were confirmed I would dismiss this candidate, she wasn't right for the building, I didn't need an employee hanging all over me and I didn't need her sleeping with half the staff distracting my men. It's why I hired women very carefully. Either they lacked skill, weren't disciplined or looking for hook ups. I'd like to hire more woman as bodyguards so I didn't have to use Steph but the ones I come across take higher position's in larger cities and I'm not going to pay an over inflated salary based on gender. Salary increases are based on merit, reviews and years of service in the company. One look at Tank I knew he felt the same. We brought in the next candidate, 37 years old, worked for a college professor in Princeton as a live in. She was dressed professionally and put together, her long dark hair in a bun.

"Why are you interested in this position?"

She gave me a flirtatious smile. "I enjoy taking care of my employer's in any way they require." I asked her a few more questions to fill time about her past duties then dismissed her. I had a feeling if Tank wasn't in the room she would have tried to straddle me in my chair. She seemed disappointed then offered me her number anyway. I glared then declined.

"Damn. We need to slap you with an ugly stick. It's always a bitch to hire a housekeeper. It's a good thing Steph isn't here today she may have attacked that last woman." I did enjoy Babe's freshness when women hit on me in front of her and occasionally her jealousy. It didn't make me feel as bad when I was the same with her and other men.

The next four women were again more interested in servicing me then the job. Another reason we both sit in on hiring meetings. The last candidate was Abby, an English woman a few years younger then Ella. Her employer's had her traveling often with them all over the world as a housekeeper and caregiver but she was looking to put down roots at her age.

She gave Tank and I a sweet smile and answered our questions truthfully. I explained the duties and hours as well as requirements, security measures and confidentiality. Abby didn't seemed phased or afraid of us. A good sign. Tank and I had a silent conversation then offered her a paid try out for a week with Ella once we did a full background check and called her references. Abby was practically jumping at the possibility. I had a good feeling she would work well with Ella. Eric escorted her out of the building as we switched over to the men to interview for patrol.

"I liked her, she was like Mary Poppins. I think Steph should meet her during the trial she picks up things about woman we don't notice... I'm also glad she was the last. I was getting tired of them making googly eyes at you, blushing and stuttering." Tank was right it was exhausting.

In my younger days I loved it, took every opportunity for the attention but once you hit your thirties it gets old real fast. I understand I have a good face and body, take a minute to admire then get down to business. I find I'm attractive to women who aren't obvious about there attraction to me. I liked that about Babe. I knew she was affected by me anytime I was close to her yet smart enough to focus on the job. Not many women were that flexible including other field agents I had worked with.

"Have you been testing out a second in command for you?"

"Ya I don't have a fit yet. I'm on Woody right now." I noticed Tank check his phone the last few hours. He didn't seem focused today the last time he was like this Lula was the cause with afternoon delights.

"Do you want to talk about her?" Tank slammed his blank face down. Anyone else that would work. With us it was a waste. He raised an eye brow in question wanting to know if Steph told me. I looked at his phone then back to him. He relaxed.

"No I don't want to talk about it... what do you do when you messaged Steph in the morning and she hasn't responded by lunch and her tracker didn't move all day."

"Steph is a special case... normally I'd drop by or see if she's been kidnapped... you've been distracted for two weeks. Do I need know something?" Tank used both hands to rub his face.

"I've met my Steph... She's amazing, frustrating, independent, loves cats, doesn't force me to talk and the sex is... indescribable. I never felt this way before it's tripping my head. I'm more messed up now then you were after you slept with Steph the first time by disappearing for a few days." I didn't know he knew about that. Yeah I remember I couldn't think straight I needed distance so I went to Greece.

"Did you check her background? I don't want to get into your business but if you want to bring her here I'd like to see the information as well... How did you meet her?" In our line of work we had to be careful, chance encounters could be an assassin. It took me months to check Steph out to be sure she was safe before I even kissed her.

Tank glared at me. Insulted. "She's clean, her family is clean and she's a Vet. I'm not ready to bring her here, I'm not stupid. She doesn't know a lot about me yet. When it gets serious you"ll know... I just wanted to mention it. We're both in a similar situation now, we should compare notes as needed. I'm only mentioning this now because Eve asked to meet my friend Steph... I mentioned her at dinner once." I tensed. I didn't like Babe mentioned by my men. It was a major security risk to her safety outside of Rangeman.

"She's pregnant. I prefer you didn't introduce Babe to your woman without me looking at a background first." Tank looked angry about to punch me. I glared. "I'm not saying this woman is dangerous but you haven't said how you met yet and the timing seems off to me. Steph's safety is my priority, if you don't want me to look at her background then Slick or I need to be present for her protection."

Tank balled up his fists. "You don't trust me to protect your woman?"

"You know that's not true. Your distracted. Look at yourself right now. Think about it. She has two active threats. While your focus is on Eve for a minute something could happen to my woman." Tank's face softened a little.

"Fine. We can all have dinner together tonight if you want. I already have a private room reserved in Ewing." How did this happen?

"Your seriously asking us to double with you like were in high school? We've never done this before... Steph likes to talk a lot, she may say something about Rangeman or you. I have very little control of her."

He sighed. "Eve said if I couldn't talk about myself she at least wanted to meet one of my friends, I like her... I'm asking as my friend for you to do this for me, just like I would when it comes to Steph." I nodded. I pulled out my phone to message Babe about dinner. A minute later she replied "Yes!" And said she was doing a little dance. At least one of us was excited.

Tank coughed to get my attention "I don't want to make you look bad tonight but I'm giving Eve some flowers at dinner. Plan accordingly." I looked at him like he had two heads. I never thought we'd be in this position together...ever. Tank picked up on my thoughts.

"Yeah it's like the world is upside down, freaking me out too." This was too much emotional shit for us. We both dove back into work. I messaged Ella to secure a single red rose for Steph tonight.

SPOV

The field and Mercer County Park were both dead ends. With West Windsor and Yardville done we moved into the Pine Barren's after a small lunch break. Ella was a goddess making me four types of sandwiches, included a bunch of olives, bananas, fruit cups and even used real mayo. I noticed she does that when Ranger isn't around to notice.

I was lucky I found bathroom so far throughout the day but I knew the Pine Barren's were a different story. We still had several hours of light and dinner wasn't until 7:30. I was bouncing in excitement to meet Eve and more shocked we were double dating. This situation was very unlike Ranger, I assumed this must be an unknown side of Carlos. Slick and I filled our bags with supplies then joined Camden and Clint. They were amazing creatures, it made me want Higgins even more.

Trent spoke up "Most people think it's harder to search this area since it's so larger over a million acres however less people travel through this area unlike a park. Looking for odd things will be easier since the soil is sandy, nutrient poor. I personally enjoy the pygmy pines in this area. You may need a flash light while walking, although it's day light the oaks in this area are so large they keep the sunlight out making it difficult to see everything... and Steph the Timber Rattlesnake lives here so be careful about your steps." I looked at my car again debating if I just wanted to give up. Slick pulled me along.

"Yeah and the Jersey Devil lives here too. Lula thought he was chasing us once when we got lost. Legend says he was born in 1735 to a local woman, Mrs. Leed's I think, it was her thirteenth kid and he was cursed, Lula thinks he was just born a monster who killed his family then flew away... I've heard of several sightings."

Slick looked at me like I was crazy. "You believe in that legend?"

"I don't know... I've seen a lot that makes me think it could be possible."

Trent was trying not to laugh at me. "The Pineys are more of a danger to you then some legend."

"Maybe but I know two residents and they seemed pretty nice. Elmer lives near by, he's a fire farter." They both laughed like I was joking but Diesel introduced us. I couldn't rule out the Devil so quickly.

"We only have three miles to cover between two possible victims, stay close to me Steph. If we get separated find somewhere safe to stop then wait for me to track you. Under no circumstance try and find your way back alone." I agreed and after two hours I was bored. This was a very slow process, I was trying not drink any water but I needed to go to the bathroom again. I bit my lip.

"How far to a bathroom Slick?"

He gave me a sad face. "Far. Maybe 25 minutes, can you make it?" I shook my head. Trent said he would continue on with the dogs and took a two way radio from Slick. Slick looked for a private safe area for me to do my business.

"I can't do this if you can hear me or are close by. You need to go away."

Slick looked uncomfortable "I can't be out of sight... I can turn around and give you maybe 15 feet and cover my ears."

"No Slick. Please." I was dancing side to side now.

"I can't. It's too easy to take you from here or get shot, too much cover." I really had to go so I glared and pointed. Slick laughed then gave me a shovel and toilet paper. I looked at him confused.

"You need to dig the hole first then pop a squat or hug a tree, wipe then put it in the hole and cover it. It's the disposable kind safe for the environment."

"I think this is the lowest point in my life and I've had my moments." I started mumbling how unfair it was that men could just whip it out and women had to take off a shoe then layers. I did my business quickly remembering the story of Ranger almost getting attack by a snake while he did his business. I pulled my gun just in case. I started fixing my clothes when I heard a loud thud in the distance.

"Slick."

Slick was running my way with his gun out. "Sounded like a car back firing? Someone must be on a road near by or have a home close." We continued walking to catch up to Trent. I hated this place. Freaking swamps... we heard branches breaking then raised our guns again as a deer ran by. I heard Trent over the radio.

"Camden found something." Trent relayed his coordinates to Slick to find him. Ten minutes later we saw Camden laying on the ground while Trent marked the area and did a grid search for any other evidence.

I looked at the spot and said a silent pray for the person. I had mixed feelings in my stomach... happy we found something but sad we found someone that was left out here like trash. It made my heart feel very heavy.

"Don't get your hopes up yet, it could be anyone. Make the call." After seven hours of searching I used the Sat phone to call Joe, he had more contacts in this area then Royce. I didn't need to look up Joe's number in my phone, I had called it enough in the past. I tried his work line first.

"Morelli."

"Joe I found a body, I think. Your going to need a team." My voice was a little shaky, I'd like to blame the cold but my nerves were frazzled too.

"Geeze Cupcake... you find more bodies then anyone I know. It's not normal. Who is it?" He whispered "You don't kill them right?" I rolled my eyes. No if I had killed someone I would have called Tank or Ranger first.

"Ugh Joe. Be cop for once. Get a team to the Pine Barren's, we used a cadaver dog and found something." I relayed the exact coordinates thanks to Slick. Joe said it would be an hour to make the trip and he was leaving now. Normally this isn't his jurisdiction but Royce was a Fed.

Trent looked at me knowing exactly how I was feeling. "It doesn't get easier especially when it's a kid... Just remember your finding answers for that family so they can have peace and hope your help nails the bastard." I saw grief and sadness in his eyes as he walked back to our cars. I knew he was reliving his own tragic past, his background check told me why he did this work month after month.

His sister went missing one day after school after she got off the bus. The family searched for her for months eventually a cadaver dog found her buried next door in the back yard. The neighbor said it was an accident and he covered it up because of fear but he was found guilty of attacking her before hand.

I touched my stomach thinking about Ranger and his security measures. In the past I gave him a really hard time about security but he does it out of love not control. I see that. Ranger doesn't want me to end up in some hole in the woods like this. I don't want anything to happen to the twins either, I may have to adopt his stalking tendencies and place several trackers on each kid before they leave the house. I never thought that would happen.

Slick and I caught up to Trent walking. I wanted to change the mood. "Your former employee, Kimi Milton is currently working at Cluck in the Bucket. Her financials don't show an increase of any large amounts of cash but she did have one arrest for shop lifting when she was seventeen. I'm still running the IP addresses for the reviewer's and the breeder's haven't called me back yet. I'll give it another day then show up pretending to want a dog. Kimi is a suspect but you have a successful business, it could be a competitor, unhappy client, another ex employee or someone who personally hates you or your partner. I need you both to make a list of those people and email it for me to run. I think I'll have some answers in a few days... include ex's as well. Sometimes people are petty." Rachel came to mind.

By the time we got back to the car we said goodbye to Trent and waited for the cops to show. My guess they were ten minutes away. Since no one was chatty with me on the phone the last few weeks I thought I'd question them in person, see if they were lying to my face or withholding.

"Where do you want to go after you speak to them? Check the apartments while up here?" I looked at the time I still had a few ours till dinner but I was beat.

"No I want to see an id first before we waste time." I pulled up the GPS tracker for Scott. I noticed he only went to work and home today. I took out my phone to call Rory's doctor.

"Hi my name is Rory Simms, I misplaced my day planner and can't remember my appointment date and time, could you remind me please."

"Yes tomorrow at noon." Bingo.

"Thank you so much."

"You want to see if Scott shows up with her and take pictures with a hidden camera?"

"Of course. Maybe I'll catch them afterwards too. I need to clean my plate a little, three cases is too much for me right now... My new rule is two. I haven't even picked up my mail in weeks... Do I owe you tickets to a comedy show or do you owe me a favor for your dating profile?"

Slick frowned. "I owe you a favor." I smiled big like he just handed me a plate of pie. I'd have to keep that in my back pocket. We saw the flashing lights coming behind us. Royce pulled up in his SUV with Morelli and a couple of patrol officers I didn't recognize. Joe smiled when he saw me and walked over to our car.

"Good to see you Steph." Joe kissed my check then grazed his fingers on my stomach. I could see behind him Royce was giving out orders to the local forensic unit and heading into the woods.

"It's cold Cupcake, you and the little Cupcakes should be in the warm car. Come on." Joe opened the backseat of my SUV and got in. Slick got back into the driver's seat. Joe glared at him.

"I'm a cop. I'm not going to hurt her."

"Stop Joe, it's cold you just said so." Joe looked into my eyes sad.

"Tell me about the case Morelli. What are you guys not telling me?" Joe had his cop face on now. He was about to say nothing but I cut him off. "Your lying Joe, tell me or I won't share anymore information." My coat was parted in the middle from sitting, the bottom of my sweater covered stomach exposed. Joe put his hand on my stomach, moving it slowly back and forth. I pulled his hand off me.

"Joe. We're here for work." Joe nodded.

"Royce's supervisor doesn't want us sharing any information but the car search came back negative and we think he took his next victim already since a bunch of women disappeared after the New Year." I was annoyed Royce was suppose to call me with the names.

"Why didn't you or Royce call me then? I thought we were all in this together?"

"We are but we're Cops... This is Royce's first major case, he is keeping it close to his vest and doesn't want any leaks to the papers or anyone else."

"And you?"

"You know I don't talk about my cases with you Steph, this isn't the first time... if this goes to trial it will look messy having the cops close to you since your the victim and investigator. It could add to his defense that your setting him up or something. Having a personal relationship wouldn't look good for the Fed's." I understood what Joe was saying. I didn't like it but I got it. They wanted all my info but give me nothing in return, it makes then look better in the end too. Shocker.

"Do you have anything else to share?"

"No."

"I wouldn't expect my help much longer then. Seems like I'm the only one working this case anyway."

Joe frowned "Don't be like this Steph, you give us leads we run them. Were on this too."

"We're done Joe. I have somewhere to be." I went for the door to exit but Joe grabbed my upper arm.

"I need to tell you something privately. We can do that now alone or have a meal together later. Your choice. Please Steph." Damn he said please. This would be easier then eating together. I turned to Slick.

"Give us two minutes alone. Please." Slick looked at his watch then opened the door "Two. That's it." I waited for the door to close.

"Talk fast."

Joe sighed "I'm trying Steph. I met someone... I'm sure you heard she's great, sweet, safe, I'm going to try dating her for a while but we can't be friends while I do that for a bit. I need time to get over you. You can call me for work but anything else I can't handle... Every time I see you I want to be the twins father and I'm hurting... I want us to be friends I just need space for a while. I'll tell you when I'm ready." I felt tears in the back of my eyes.

"I know you need this and I respect it, I'm just sad because your a good friend. I'll miss us eating pizza and watching games but I want you happy and you need to let go." A tear slipped down my cheek, Joe wiped it with his thumb before I could. Joe was looking deep into my eyes.

"Your lips are always soft when you cry, I hated the tears but I loved your lips." Joe looked like he was going to kiss me, I pushed his hand away and told him no.

Joe dropped his hand. I saw the tears building behind his eyes. "It's hard when I'm so in love with you that my heart is breaking over and over." I saw Slick about to open the door.

"I'm sorry Joe... be happy with Fiona. I wish you the best but our time's up." I gave his knee a small squeeze then went to get out of the car back to the front seat. Joe followed me out. I saw him heading to the crime scene.

I hated that about Joe, I'd be pissed one minute then he makes me feel like the bad guy the next, making me feel shitty and sorry for him. I sighed and opened the passenger side door to get in.

I felt two hands wrap around my waist trying to turn me, I reacted by allowing the turn then raised my right arm into a chopping motion towards my attacker's neck while using my right leg to kick out his knee. It was so quick I didn't know who I hit.

I heard someone shout "put your hands up." Some cop I didn't know had a gun raised at me from 20 feet away. I lifted my hands up as Slick moved himself in front of me for protection.

"He grabbed me from behind I didn't know it was Joe!" I tried to bend down to wake him but I was warned again not to move.

"Sir move out of the way she just assaulted an officer." I heard the officer request an ambulance on his radio.

Slick spoke up "I saw it too. She was clearly defending herself when he tried to kiss her. Put your gun down. Now." Slick spoke to him with authority but he didn't budge.

"Both of you on your knees. Interlock your fingers behind your head and remove your weapons belt."

"Can't. My name is Slick and I work for Rangeman security. This is Stephanie Plum my asset to protect and you have a gun pointed at her. Call your boss to verify her identity but I have an Id too in my pocket."

"I don't care who you are! Get on your knees! Keep your hands where I can see them." Freaking Mexican standoff.

"She's unarmed put your gun down... She is under Ranger Manoso's protection. A hair on her head misplaced...Don't be stupid."

The officer's hand shook a little. "I don't care. She's committed a crime and your assisting her."

I saw another police car come up and Carl get out. He asked the officer what was going on and ordered him to holster his weapon but he wouldn't. Freaking Morelli. I was tempted to kick him again. I saw the ambulance arrive, the paramedics running over with a stretcher. Carl was on his phone talking to his boss I think.

"Step away from officer Morelli."

"Put your gun down and we will."

Carl was talking to the officer now relaying information from the phone.

"Steph the chief wants to handle this at the PD. Officer Johnson will follow in his car behind you to sort this out calmly. Now Johnson holster your weapon." He looked pissed but did. Carl stood by the officer and nodded to me it was ok.

"Steph get in the car while I cover you then lock the doors until I get in." I felt sick and stressed like I couldn't breathe. I had a heart attack when Johnson raised his gun at me. I had my hands over my face and my elbows on my knees. I was shaking. I took a few deep breaths. I saw Joe being taken away. Slick got into the car to drove us back to Trenton.

"Is Joe going to be ok?"

"Yeah you just knocked him out good and probably broke his leg for the third time." Slick started laughing. I felt awful.

"I didn't mean to... I just reacted." I felt the tears building. Slick picked up his phone and tried to hand it to me.

"Babe?"

My voice cracked. "I'm ok. It wasn't completely my fault... I may need a lawyer, not Kloughn...I need someone good enough to secure conjugal visits."


	53. Chapter 53

SPOV

My voice cracked. "I'm ok. It wasn't completely my fault... I may need a lawyer, not Kloughn...I need someone good enough to secure conjugal visits."

Ranger was laughing. "I think we need to be married first before you get those visits, I'd be happy to oblige." I groaned.

"Ranger this isn't funny. Lula told me morning sex is the best sex to wake up to unless your in prison... I really don't want to find out." Slick and Ranger were still laughing.

"Babe Lula's never been to prison, she spent two nights in jail, once for prostitution and once with Tank when she ran her mouth off to the wrong guy and he had to protect her. Relax your not going to jail, you weren't formally arrested and they didn't read you your rights. Rangeman has a built in mediation system for this before any charges can be made. You and Slick are Rangeman employees.

Slick told me it was self defense and he was your witness. Don't say anything unless I'm in the room with you. Once I see the situation then we can decide if we need Cooper Phillips, he's our defense attorney on retainer and can be there in ten minutes, I already made call to have him on standby."

"And if I'm charged? I'm trying to recall what I know about being in a holding cell and all I can think about is not dropping the soap."

I could feel Ranger smiling "That's more of a man's concern. Breathe Babe. Remember what I told you, I'd never let you go to jail, we'd disappear together first." That made me smile a little, he did promise that in Greece and Ranger keeps his promises.

"Leave your weapons in the car, I know you have permits to carry but the cop sounds overzealous to charge according to Carl. If he tries to arrest you don't fight, listen to him read you your rights and remind him you can only be searched by a woman, request Robin and discreetly mention your pregnant so she puts you in a cell alone. I doubt it will get that far, it's self defense on your part and Morelli won't press charges against you."

I whispered "I'm scared."

"Trust me Babe, no one's keeping you from me. I'll see you soon, give Slick the phone." I sighed and gave Slick the phone. He kept saying "yes sir" then hung up. He took out his personal Iphone and connected it to the radio. Johnny Cash's _Folsom Prison Blues_ started to play. I was not amused.

"Don't worry Steph this will get cleared up, it happens sometimes. The most you can be charged with is resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer and Morelli still loves you and knows your pregnant. I don't like the guy but he wouldn't do that to you. Remember when you speak to the Chief that he touched you first, you can press charges against him too." This was a big mess. I groaned. The next song came on _Hurricane_ by Bob Dylan.

"Are you playing songs only about jail?"

Slick laughed "Yeah you sounded like you were lacking in knowledge, I thought this would help." I hit his arm.

"What about you? Will you be charged?"

"Maybe for resisting arrest or aiding you... This isn't a big deal, occasionally we get called in when Rangeman are accused of bogus things. Rangeman's lawyer is very good. Ranger asked me not to let you out of this car until he walks you into the station himself. Just stay silent and only answer questions your asked directly, don't elaborate or ramble...worst case scenario your charged and released in a few hours. A trial still has to happen and your pregnant, you were protecting yourself and your children, a Judge would never send you to the big house for that.

My advice is stop feeling guilty this second. If you act guilty then the Chief may find you guilty. Act confident and in the right... It was self defense, you were grabbed you reacted. It wasn't an old lovers spat, it was a reaction." Elvis's _Jailhouse Rock_ started to play. I always liked this song till this moment. I could see Officer Johnson practically riding on top of our bumper.

"I know the Chief... not well but he plays cards with my dad at the lodge sometimes...this isn't our first run in together. I don't know how he feels about me right now."

Slick slid his blank face into place "What does that mean?"

I sighed and looked out the window. "He was the officer that responded in my teens when I accidentally clipped Morelli with Big Blue... my foot slipped."

"What was the outcome?"

"I barely touched Morelli with my car he flinched from fear then tripped, breaking his own leg. The officer knew me because of my father, he knew what Joe did to me when I was 16. He talked to Joe and told both of us we were even and to let it go. Joe's family wanted to press charges but Joe was an adult and didn't. We both walked away with a warning."

Slick's fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly. "What did he do to you?"

"It was a long time ago, it's not important." Slick must be one of the few people in Trenton who didn't know Joe took my virginity and wrote it on the walls. I didn't want Slick to think poorly of me over a youthful mistake so I kept my mouth shut.

Slick parked at the Trenton PD, officer Johnson came straight over to my window knocking for me to get out. When I didn't comply he looked pissed.

"Get out right now or I'm arresting you." He had his cuffs in hand.

"Don't. Ranger is parking as we speak. We wait."

The officer kept knocking and ordering me to get out. I secured my bag and weapons in the car with Slick's weapons. I saw Ranger walk up to Johnson and tower over him. He crossed his arms and said something I couldn't hear. Johnson stepped away quickly from the car and waited.

I unlocked my door. Ranger had his blank face in place, eyes roaming my body for injuries. He gave me his hand to help me out of the car then wrapped his arm around my waist. Slick moved to my other side for protection into the station. We all walked directly to the Chief's office. The secretary looked up from her computer and smiled.

"My word Stephanie Plum, I haven't seen you since you were a child and walked into the boy's bathroom thinking you were invisible. You gave my Freddy a fright. It's so good to see you, I'm Freddy's mom, Amy Gorman." I was blushing bright red. I remember Freddy, he was in Joe's grade and nerdy, not _The Big Bang Theory_ kind of nerds more Urkel. Freddy had the worst time in school, as soon as college came he was gone, only visiting his parents for major holidays. Everyone was looking at me like a weirdo.

"I remember Mrs. Gorman. Good to see you again... I had a vivid imagination back then I don't do those things anymore I promise."

"Oh I know dear. You were just darling, when you apologized with those darling curls and big blue eyes no one could stay mad at you. Freddy use to have such a crush on you, told me only you and Mary Lou were nice to him. I told him to invite you to prom but he lost the nerve. He just got married a few years ago I'm excited to be a Grandmother." I felt Ranger squeeze my hip and smirk. He thought this was funny but I didn't know what to say.

"Well you can tell him if he had asked I would have went as a friend, he seemed nice." I don't know if that was fully true back then but the person I am now would have went. Johnson was getting annoyed tapping his foot, Amy noticed and turned her finger towards him.

"Take a pill hot shot, he's on a call. Sit down if you can't stand."She turned back and smiled to me. That was the thing about the Burg we protected our own on certain occasions and gave outsiders a hard time. I think Amy appreciated I was nice to her son growing up.

"So Stephanie I heard why your here. Was this an accident or some kind of weird _50 Shades of Grey_ foreplay? You two have been going at it with each other since you were six and he eight." Slick looked like he was going to burst from holding it in and Ranger twitched his lips. Everyone thought this was funny but me.

I sighed "No this is just a misunderstanding that got out of hand." Amy was about to respond when she heard a beep alerting her to let us in. Amy wished me luck and winked.

The office was large and pristine, it reminded me off the principal's office that I frequented often in middle school. Officer Johnson took a seat in front of the desk and I took the either. Ranger and Slick stood behind me. Chief Steel shook Ranger's hand and did pleasantries. Of course they knew each other, I stopped myself from rolling my eyes.

"Alright Officer Johnson why don't you start." He retold his story then it was my turn. Slick was questioned last. Chief Steel had a frown on his face the whole time.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention Officer Johnson you are excused."

"Will charges be filed Sir?"

"I need to speak to Miss Plum first, return to duty." Johnson looked annoyed but complied. Ranger took his empty chair looking cool and relaxed while I was on pins and needles. Chief Steel took off his glasses and sighed.

"What did I tell you when you were sixteen and your father brought you to my house for the BBQ, stay away from the Morelli boys. Then that incident at the Tasty Pastry and at nineteen you hit Joe with that car... Between us he deserved it. I told you again that day to stay away from each other. Fast forward over a decade and you date on and off like light switch. Look me in the eye right now Stephanie and tell me you didn't do this on purpose."

I lifted up my head from looking at my hands "I didn't do this on purpose Sir... Joe and I are over, have been for months but he's struggling to let go. I didn't know it was him who grabbed me. You know I've been assaulted several times in the past, it was a reaction." His eyes softened.

"I know. You were always a tough kid, you would have made a great cop if you didn't fight against authority so much... I might not be on the street anymore but I'm aware of the rumors on Stark about you and Ranger. I spoke to Morelli on the phone before you came in, for a little thing like you, you broke his leg again and gave him a mild concussion. He isn't pressing any charges and took full responsibility, he said he was stupid and just wanted one last kiss before he let you go for good. He won't again or he's suspended. You may press charges or we can drop this whole thing and pretend like it never happened."

I let my breathe go I was holding. "I'd like to pretend it didn't happen." I tried to sit up to leave but he pointed to sit back down.

"I've heard a strange rumor you beat up Jeanne Ellen and she didn't press charges either. Is this going to be a new pattern for you? Because next time you may not be so lucky and end up in holding cell."

I shrugged "I heard that rumor too, you know gossip in this town. I wouldn't take much stock in it if I was you." I gave him a sweet and innocent smile. He didn't seem fooled. He shook his head.

"Your a good investigator, I know the work you've been doing on the serial killer case but reign in that temper. I don't want to see you in my office again or have to tell your father about this... Your a good kid, make better choices...and God help me if you produce children, the Burg would crumble in chaos. Please stay away from Morelli, I told him the same."

I smiled and I nodded. "Yes Sir. Thank you. I'm sorry again for the trouble." I was about to leave again when Ranger spoke up.

"Jim this isn't the first time your officers have given my men a hard time, we've spoken about this in the past, new procedures need to be made in our relationship and the ones already in place reviewed and enforced with your employees. An officer requesting one of my men to disarm while protecting someone in there charge is unacceptable. Johnson didn't even verify or speak to a superior in the matter and admitted he didn't care. Carl Constanza made the call to you... If anything had happened to Stephanie today, Rangeman would have sued this entire department."

"I'm aware, Juniak made that agreement when he was Police Chief and encouraged it as Mayor. I agreed to it when I took this position as well, our current partnership benefits Trenton and reduces crime. Call my office to arrange lunch to hash out the details." Ranger shook his hand. We all stood up and I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. I waived goodbye to Amy and walked back to Ranger's Porsche after I grabbed my bag. Ranger secured me in his car and kissed my forehead.

"I was never in major trouble was I? I freaked for nothing?"

"I wouldn't suggest you go into crime for a living but no you were never in major trouble."

"I didn't know you two were friends." Ranger smirked.

"There was a small chance they would have charged you, I wanted you prepared. This meeting was overdue, cops like Johnson are a pain in my ass." Ranger held my hand on his lap while he drove.

"Can we still make dinner? I took off my jewelry and watch just in case."

"You have 30 minutes to get ready." Ranger kissed my lips and plunged his tongue in my mouth at a traffic light.

When he broke the kiss, my lips could still feel him. "I'm sorry you were called. I don't like wasting your time."

Ranger made a turn onto Hayward. "I want to be called. I'm Proud of you Babe, Morelli's lucky you hit him because if you hadn't I would, trust me what you did was well deserved."

I squeezed his hand "don't hurt him anymore then I have, Joe and I agreed to avoid each other, he's dating Fiona now. I just want to move on." Ranger watched me for a beat then gave me his mega watt smile.

"I think we can work some kind of deal between us." I shivered in a good way. Ranger's deals were usually sexual and mind blowing. Once we parked I bee lined for the closet, I didn't have time to shower so I fixed my hair into a simple up do. I choose a green empire waist cocktail dress with lace capped sleeves and a sexy pair of ankle boots. I paired it with my black pea coat and ran for the door.

"How late are we?"

"Ten minutes. Tank knows, he said it was fine and he would order appetizers. We don't know this woman, we need to be cautious. I ask you don't mention Rangeman or anything personal about us to Eve for security reasons. I haven't seen a background check on her and they don't know each other that well." I understood Ranger was cautious, he had reason to be.

We pulled up to Amore, an upscale Italian restaurant. Ranger opened my door then presented me with a single red rose from behind his back. He was very smooth for a man that never did relationships before. I smelled my rose.

"Thank you Carlos." I gave him a sweet kiss that was too short for both of our liking.

"I'd rather be in bed with you right now, let's make this quick." Ranger escorted me to a private room where I saw Tank and Eve sipping wine and whispering to each other. The table was large with romantic flowers and candles, Sinatra playing in the background. I saw a big bouquet of pink roses next to Eve. Wow Tank had some game.

Ranger and I removed our jackets placing them on our chairs. Eve looked up surprised then gaped at me.

"Hi Stephanie Plum, my boyfriend Ranger" I tried to shake her hand but she didn't move."I'm very sorry were late it was my fault, legal issues and I was on a case today in the Pine Barren's." Nothing, it was like she was frozen. Usually Ranger got this response not me. Tank poked her in the shoulder snapping her out of it.

"Oh my goodness. I'm so embarrassed. I'm such a fan. I can't believe Tank didn't tell me you were that Stephanie!" Eve lightly tapped his arm pretending she was mad.

"Half of what you read is untrue I assure you and it wasn't my fault about the funeral home." I was bright red. Great Eve thinks I'm a nut ball. She jumped out of her chair and hugged me, I stiffened. I could tell Ranger didn't like it either, his grip tightened on my hip. Eve released me then shook Ranger's hand saying it was a pleasure to meet us and how excited she was to meet Tank's friends. Eve seemed sweet and kind while she told us about herself.

"I'm thinking of getting a dog, you could be my Vet. I was going to use PetSmart but now that we know each other this is perfect." Eve happily agreed. Our appetizers were served, luckily all things I could eat.

"So how did you meet Tank?"

Eve blushed " through a friend Emmaline." Emmaline was the match maker I gave him for Christmas. I gave Tank a big smile. Eve talked about her family, work then my work.

"I'm jealous of you, I read every _Nancy Drew _growing up and was an avid _Veronica Mar's_ fan, if you ever need a stake out partner please call me."

"It's not that excited trust me."

"What were you doing at the Pine Barren's today?"

"Looking for a missing woman. My friend Trent said without my partner Slick I would have died from a snake or a bear attack, he think's I need wilderness prep courses or some hiking knowledge." Eve smiled big.

"I loved that growing up, my dad and brother were in the army so I could teach you. I hated it at first too but it grows on you, it's very relaxing, despite needing to hug a tree... We could plan a couples weekend with our men here." I started laughing hysterically.

"Oh man. I don't think they are low maintenance campers... it would be some kind of military camp with different tents and we would need ATV's just to bring in supplies... I bet several tree stands would be erected throughout our site too." Eve and I were laughing but Tank and Ranger didn't look amused. They had a silent communication, I knew they would discuss a battle plan if that day ever happened.

"That would be fun, I'll bring the S'mores. I don't know if I'd last a weekend but I'd try a night." Ranger had a twinkle in his eye. I had to give Eve credit she never once starred at Ranger, it made me like her even more. When Eve would ask Ranger a few questions he gave vague one word answers.

"Stephanie I'm guessing you had a military man in your life at one time."

"Yeah my dad was in the army briefly."

"Mine was too and my brother and uncles, I told Tank it makes us women already use to the strong silent type. Luckily I talk enough for the two of us... I once dated a man who talked more then me and it freaked me out...I'm surprised your pregnant, Tank never mentioned you were, are you excited?" Everyone at the table froze. This was one of my better dresses that hid my stomach. Eve picked up the table's unease.

"I'm sorry, I just thought I felt something when I hugged you earlier."

I sighed "no it's fine, your right but it's not public knowledge and I'd prefer to keep it that way. You've read I've been attacked before due to my job, we don't want anyone to know for safety."

"Of course, I'd be the same way, I won't tell a soul." She squeezed my hand and smiled. Ranger relaxed. He must have read the same truthfulness as I did in her body language.

"Are you interested in children Eve?"

"Maybe one day if I met the right person." She blushed. "Right now I have a cat and help sick animals till I find them good homes. My schedule is crazy because I own my own practice but I'd bring in another doctor if that time came." She wanted Tank's babies it was written all over her face. I'd be afraid, he was a big man, which meant big babies. I looked at Ranger, he still had a blank expression from the start of our dinner. Neither man spoke much, it was mostly Eve and I. We talked TV and _The Bachelor,_ how crazy it's been, shopping, food likes and dislikes. Eve was intelligent and witty, a much better fit then Lula. We tried to include the guys into our talk but neither said much.

I could tell Eve was curious about Tank, trying to ask questions without directly asking. The problem was I didn't know much about the guy after three years, it was difficult enough just learning about Ranger. I told her a funny story of when Tank tried to assist me and an FTA fell out of the window on top of him breaking his leg. "Me I would have cried like a baby, Tank was silent and annoyed. I felt horrible!"

Eve kissed his check "yup that sounds like my big strong man. This has been so much fun we should do it again maybe dancing or a movie next time?" I was game but Ranger didn't seem interested.

RPOV

I had to restrain myself from laughing when Babe told Eve she would try camping or hiking, this is the same woman who wouldn't walk up two flights of stairs to get to her old apartment or chase a skip if they ran too fast. She hated bugs, bears and peeing outside and wouldn't sleep on her old lumpy couch, the ground wasn't much better. Babe spent an entire day in the wilderness today and only packed one bottle of water, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, a few snacks and sunglasses. I knew the night before she wasn't going to be prepared so I gave a list to Slick to pack and carry for any situation.

According to Slick's report, Babe kept her eyes on the ground most of the time and complained a little about the cold. I could picture all of us camping and Babe miserable and paranoid of an animal attack if the bugs didn't eat her alive first. I love her but a nature woman she is not. I'd take her in our backyard first with a tent to see how long she would last before taking her into the wilderness.

When I got the call from Carl telling me what happened between Babe and Morelli, I knew he was a dead man but I was even more pissed some cop held her at gun point when she was unarmed. Carl said she wasn't hurt but I was fed up. Since the start of Rangeman I had a mostly good relationship with the Trenton PD. I made acquaintances with Morelli, Big Dog, Carl, Eddie and a few others. When Morelli went FTA I purposely didn't take the case because I didn't want a bad relationship with the police force. I told Vinnie to use Morty Byers since he was an ex cop who got thrown off the force.

I also knew Morelli from few cases and didn't think he was guilty. If he wanted to kill someone he was smart enough to make a body disappear, chasing him wasn't worth a sour professional relationship so I passed. It was just my luck Morty got sick with his appendix and Babe took his cases.

Once Rangeman was expanding I introduced myself to the Chief of Police, Joe Juniak. We were a small crew, Bobby, Tank me and Santos, all the cops knew us but stayed out of our way and overlooked things since we were providing a public service. Things they legally couldn't do themselves but wanted to do.

Once we expanded again onto Hayward, officers started giving my men a hard time just because they had a badge. Rumors of me and Tank from Stark Street were outlandish, some true. I heard I was an assassin, gun runner, gang member. Regardless it improved my street cred, I didn't care what people thought as long as they didn't bother me.

When Rangeman patrol would catch thieves and turn them into the PD, desk officers would hold my men for questioning, wasting their time and mine. That's when I had a sit down with Juniak to establish ground rules, it worked for a while until new blood hit the force and Juniak rose to Congress.

When I was pulled over for speeding a few years ago the officer saw my gun and arrested me for carrying concealed. Everyone in Trenton knew I did, unfortunately my conceal permit was on hold due to a weapons charge in Nevada and wasn't resolved at that time.

That's when I knew some cops still didn't believe I was a legitimate business man, just a criminal. I could have resisted arrest and easily escaped but I decided it would be easier just to go in, call my lawyer and have Vinnie bail me out. It didn't cost me anything because I threatened Vinnie to just do it. At the time I didn't think I was going FTA but things changed. Ramos faked his death and burned down the building when I acted as an intermediary between two crime families. I was accused of murder and arson and wanted for questioning

Most people thought I was acting on my own accord, the cops were all gunning for me but the Fed's had hired me to keep the peace between the two families while collecting evidence and placing bugs for them. Rangeman gave me support but I didn't want my name to tarnish the company. I was surprised to get Stephanie's voice mail at the time, she didn't question me or ask if I was guilty, she just asked if I was ok. Not one person had done that. I didn't involve her in the beginning because I thought she may bring me in, my reasoning was based on her catching Morelli regardless of there past but she solved my case for me.

Once I cleared my name I sat down with the new Chief to make a partnership between the PD and Rangeman, Juniak helped facilitate the rules and we had an agreement. When a situation or disagreement happened between our men, superiors of the Trenton PD would meet with Tank and I to handle it instead of having a show down like what happened today with Slick and Babe.

It wasn't Babe's fault, I knew that. Morelli caused this situation and Johnson was still one of those officers who enjoyed giving Rangeman a hard time. I remember him from before, he liked pulling my men over for any reason, it's why I added cameras to the outside of our patrol cars to fight false claims.

I couldn't find fault with Slick he did what I would have done, I could tell Babe was scared on the phone. I couldn't promise her everything would be ok but I was 99 percent sure it would be. Rangeman's lawyer is the best defense attorney in the state, if she was charged he'd get her released immediately then have Babe press charges for assault. I was happy with the outcome of the meeting but wished Babe hadn't been involved.

I really didn't feel like going to dinner and was hoping Babe's legal issues would have made us miss it. I'd rather just keep her safe in my arms, naked in bed. When I met Eve I noticed a lot about her, she was professionally dressed, put together and wore high end clothing. She also took to Steph immediately which wasn't unusual. Eve asked me several questions but I kept my answers vague on purpose, once I knew more about her I may open up but I liked being reserved.

Steph was the only one I let in and I still haven't told her everything and never will. I intended to tell her about my family tonight after sex, not every detail just the main things that may be mentioned to her. It's not that I've kept Babe from my family all of these years, I was keeping them from her. Babe saw me as her mentor, friend, lover and hero, I wasn't sure how she would feel about me when my family talked to her about my past or how they saw me. I didn't want to lose her.

Eve talked about wanting kids and gave Tank a glance, I could tell that was something Tank too. I was taken back, they had just met. I was worried he was rushing into things. I knew a lot of women had burned him in the past and not just Lula, in our early Army days a few women would come onto him just to make their boyfriends jealous or sleep with him so he bought them dinner's and gifts. Eventually he adopted a one nightstand policy just like the rest of us.

I could see how distracted Tank was at work over Eve, I wanted him to be happy but it made me feel uneasy. I still had time left on my contact and Tank wasn't 100% focused, it meant Slick needed to step up his game when I'm away. He's been a loyal partner to her and I feel confident she will continue working with him after she deliver's. We said our goodbyes and got back into the Porsche for Rangeman.

"Carlos...do you think Tank is serious about Eve? He didn't say much tonight?" Yeah more then I'd like at the moment.

"I guess."

"Well my stomach is full but I'm hungry for something else. I was a bad girl today... I know you like it when I'm bad...I think we should celebrate I'm not in jail." Babe moved her hand up and down my upper thigh then squeezed me through my pants. I did like Babe bad especially when she dressed so innocently and looked up at me with her big blue eyes. I drove faster. Babe and I barely cleared the door when she hopped on the dinning room table and started buckling my pants while kissing me. I slipped off her panties then drove into her. She wanted it hard and fast just like me. I used my suit jacket to protected her when I changed our position to her knees.

I whispered into her ear "your mine" as I rubbed her off while moving in and out of her faster. Hearing her call my name sent me over. I didn't give her a chance to catch her breath, I picked her up to carried her to the bedroom for round two.

SPOV

I was laying across Ranger's chest completely relaxed. He wrapped the comforter around us then drew little patterns on my back with his finger.

"I'd like you to meet my parents tomorrow after lunch. They don't know we're coming. I thought that would be best so my mother doesn't invite the whole family including extended cousins. Eventually I'll have you meet my siblings but I thought this would be a simple first visit."

I kissed his chest. "I'm excited."Ranger tensed.

RPOV

"That conversation I've put off, we should have now... You remember how I told you My father Ricardo is a mechanic, my mother Blanca was a nurse? Obviously I was named after my father since I was the first born son but I wasn't like my dad at all. I was always quiet but the troublemaker, my sister's acted like my mother always telling on me since my mom worked.

My brother was the baby of the bunch but a stickler for rules too. I was small. I'd get picked on a lot for my clothes and hair... I told you my parents didn't have a lot of money but they both worked hard. Eventually I started to steal clothes and shoes to fit in and would hide it. That escalated to being in a certain crowd in school who did those things as well defaced property, smoked, took certain drugs and liked to fight.

When I was in that crowd no one picked on me. My parents would discipline me, take away my stuff, have my sister's watch me like a hawk but my mom was busy taking care of us and the house, it was easy to sneak out at night and get into trouble.

I was a loner with an attitude and didn't enjoy rules. I thought my friends were my family since my parents kept telling me they were disappointed and embarrassed by my actions, it made me get into more trouble. They would always yell at me then each other, blaming the other one for why I was acting out. I had no direction in life, no code I lived by... I was an angry punk.

One night I stole a car and got caught, my friends didn't. The Chief today gave you a stern talking too and a slap on the wrist when you were nineteen, I was handcuffed and booked. My parents were called... they didn't come for me, my dad told them I needed to face the consequences and were done with me. They didn't hire me a lawyer so I got a public defender just out of law school who made Kloughn look intelligent.

I faced the judge alone, since I had no family in attendance to speak on my behalf I was sent to Juvie immediately. My mother would call occasionally but my father wouldn't let her or my siblings visit. I read a lot, worked out and made some friends to watch my back. I hated my father and planned to run away when released to live with the gang. My Abuela Maria would call every few days to speak to me, at first I had an attitude with her but she never took my crap and listened to me.

After I served my time my parents picked me up and I saw one suitcase in the car. They decided to send me to Miami since my grandmother defended me so much to them, they said they couldn't handle me going back to the house starting trouble again. My mom was afraid I'd get back into a gang life and die. They made the right decision, I would have joined eventually but I was mad they were shipping me off at the time.

I said goodbye to my mother and ignored my father. The moment I stepped off that plane in Miami my grandmother laid down the law with me, I only got what I earned and if I didn't shape up I'd end up dead, in jail or military school. Unlike my parents she could afford to send me. Things shaped up, I became close to Santos and a few other cousins... we still got into a little trouble but it was kids stuff compared to what I had done before. Mostly pranks.

Abuela Maria was my support system and I didn't want to embarrass or disappoint her. My parents would call once in a while but I rarely spoke to them unless it was a holiday or my birthday. We had two separate lives and that's how I wanted to keep it.

I had odds jobs in high school saved some money, did ok grade wise so I applied to college, the best offer with the cheapest tuition was Rutgers Newark. I really didn't want to go back but I did. My parents were on my case again and college was boring, I need more money to finish that no one in my family had. I met an Army recruiter and dropped out. That drove my parents crazy.

The Army taught me discipline, I enjoyed the life and traveling... you know about Rachel on leave, that was a wake call for me about women. I became more careful. While my grandmother approved of my choices to do right by Rachel then divorcing her if I wasn't happy, my parents didn't. They were deeply hurt and offended they weren't invited to the ceremony and found out through a Miami relative. Julie was born and they thought I'd finally settle down but I divorced Rachel and signed away my rights. My mother was devastated and my father again told me I was an embarrassment and disappointment."

I could feel Babe's tears on my chest, she was silent but it hurt me she was hurting. I kissed her forehead. If I didn't do this now I never would.

"My family stopped speaking to me, my mom and sisters would write or call occasionally but we had a distant relationship. Sometimes on leave I would visit, send holiday gifts or birthday presents but I didn't feel apart of there family. I tried for a while to go to family events and parties but I didn't belong. When Julie went missing I went to my Newark family first to question who they told about her, I realized quickly the leak wasn't one of them. That's when a few of my sister's asked about you... I talked about you occasionally because they were worried I was still a loner... hearing about you made that stop.

I don't know what my father will say to you tomorrow... probably not kind words about me or my past, no matter the success I have today. My mother prefers I have a safe job and be married with kids. They never understood I didn't want there exact life.

When I told my mother about you she was happy but disappointed we weren't married and you were pregnant. She may comment about it tomorrow. Abuela Rosa is quiet like me but can spot a lie a mile away, I'll make sure she doesn't whack you but you need to be alert. She doesn't speak English, she's old school like my dad. I don't expect us to see them often but I know you want to meet them."

"Is it an issue I'm not Cuban and I don't speak Spanish yet?"

"Not with my immediate family or most of the Newark side but the Miami side it would be. I don't care I love you." I kissed her lips. Babe lifted her head and wiped her tears away.

"I don't care what you did, they should have stepped up and not given up on you... I don't know what I would have done but I'd get you a counselor, some program, hell handcuff you to myself...I wouldn't have quit."

"That's why your going to be a great mom." I started playing with a curl of her loose hair.

"Did your childhood play a part of you not wanting to be a father fourteen years ago?" I nodded.

"I was just figuring out my life again, on the right path, I didn't want to be trapped and unhappy again. The Army was my life, without it at that time I don't know what would have happened to me. I had no intention of finishing school once I made it into the Ranger's and I wasn't going to give up something I worked that hard for."

"So that's why your reading all of those pregnancy books because your afraid your going to be a bad dad?"

"Some. I like being prepared, I need a plan and your more spontaneous."

Babe started running her hand through my hair "Your my hero Carlos. Your already an amazing father. You carry a sonogram picture in your phone, kiss my stomach all the time and ask a million questions to the doctor. You know more what's going on with my body then me. You were a troubled kid, that's going to make it easier for you to keep Team Manoso out of trouble, you already know the tricks and have a security system in place to trap them inside. Neither of us know how to be parents, our doctor in Greece said feed them, care for them and make sure they know they are loved... we're in this together remember." Babe sat up and put her hands on her stomach.

"Do you love them?"

I looked in her eyes. "As much as I love you."

I didn't want to tell Babe my fears of being emotionally closed to our kids. I didn't want her to know I was scared she would get hurt or die everyday she walked out that penthouse door or I'd go away on a mission and be killed. I didn't want her to know I had nightmares not of my past but of my future, I never wanted her hurt because of me. I feared one day she would see the monster that lived inside of me, the killer or hear the unforgivable things I've done in my past and leave of her own free will.

I held her close ever night knowing it was selfish of me to have her in my life and make her compromise to fit into my lifestyle but I couldn't live with out her anymore. Babe made me want to be better, do better, be worth her love and affection. She gives me the one thing no one else had, unconditional trust, faith and love.

"I'm proud of you Carlos despite your past. I'll love you regardless no matter what Karma haunts you. I'm honored your our children's father." As Babe drifted off to sleep she kissed my neck lightly and said "forever."

And like that she broke through another wall of defense without even trying.


	54. Chapter 54

SPOV

I had to get out of bed several times during the night for my bladder, Ranger had a hard time letting me go. I know last night was hard for him, I know he didn't tell me every detail of what he did but I could imagine. He didn't mention girls growing up but I bet they were involved and he broke a lot of hearts.

I never thought Ranger and I had a lot in common other then brief marriages and the same profession. The more he shared the more similarities I saw. In our youth we both pushed boundaries and both had parents who were disappointed or embarrassed by our actions. His parents told him told him directly while my mother told me to be more like Valerie or someone else she knew. Being told directly was so much worse, of course a kid would act out.

I always assumed Ranger was a quiet loner in his youth, I thought emotionally he became closed off because of the Army, my guess it happened long before that. I use to dream for years what Ranger's family would be like. I assumed he kept his distance for security reasons not a strained relationship. I've had a knot in my stomach all night about today's meeting. I had a big day as it was, doctor's appointment, finding a leak at the Trenton PD to tell me the identification of the body and staking out Rory's OB/GYN appointment.

Hearing Ranger's words brought a lot of things into prospective for me. Over the years he's told me he's proud of me, it always made me feel gooey inside with happiness. When I told him last night I was proud of him I saw an overwhelming feeling on his face, acceptance. I assumed Ranger received a lot of praise because he is successful then realized he hasn't in a long time. I doubt he heard much growing up. I assumed all of these years his parents loved him as much as I did, proud of the man he became and all the success that followed.

I don't know Ranger's net worth, I'll never ask but his parents would have had to notice after all these years the expensive suits, watches, cars, and know Rangeman is a success. He told me in the past he doesn't care what his family thinks of him or his decisions but deep down a piece still has to hurt. His entire childhood affected his choices as an adult. If his parents were more accepting he may have never joined the Army and live the life he has today.

Like all my appointment's Ranger skips the gym that morning then works in his office to make up the time. We sat down to breakfast together, Ranger ate hot apple oatmeal with a side of yogurt while Ella made me pancakes topped with a bunch of fruit. I know they are super healthy whole wheat but she made her own blueberry syrup which was out of this world, making everything taste better.

I forced Ranger to take a bite, his enthusiasm didn't match mine. We got ready for our appointment, I grabbed my work bag and a change of clothes for after the exam. This morning I wore a stretchy wrap dress so I didn't have to wear a stupid paper gown. I saw Ranger pick up a small brown paper bag near his keys.

"What's that?"

"Things to distract you so you don't make a break for it while your waiting. You get this crazy look like a caged animal and stare at the door. It will also distract you when they take your blood."

I frowned and shrugged my shoulders. "I made it clear from the start I hate doctors. I think it's stupid I have to go so often when I feel fine."

"Your a high risk pregnancy with twins and have high blood pressure. Were lucky it's not weekly at this point." I tried to peek into the bag but he held it straight over his head.

"Patience. Walk." I groaned.

Ranger decided to take his Porsche Spyder I gave him for Christmas. I noticed he doesn't drive it in bad weather or to meet with clients just for pleasure. He babies it more then any other car. I'm not sure if it's because I gave it to him or he loves it so much. I heard Tank ask to borrow it for a future date with Eve and Ranger shut him down quick and told him to go buy his own.

I didn't mind being a passenger but I would never drive this car with my luck. It was beautiful, seats like butter. Ranger started the car purring it to life. He looked sexy in this car wearing his mirrored shades and black Armani suit. It practically screamed sex. God forbid he smiled at anyone when he got out of this car she would faint dead.

We arrived at the office early and were the only ones as usual. I think Ranger pays the doctor extra to have the first appointment of the day then run every test imaginable.

I went through the normal motions then sat on the table. Ranger gave me my special bag Ella made, it had trail mix, a bottle of water, some gossip magazines and a cross word book. I started reading an article on Kate Middleton and her pregnancy. Eventually a tech came in and told us she was here to check for any issues then asked if we were interested in the gender. She didn't make any promises but she said we could try since the doctor was stuck in traffic. I put my magazine to the side and lifted my dress. The tech placed a blanket over my lower half, Ranger pulled his chair over and held my hand. I was nervous.

After a few minutes she pointed to the screen. "I can only see one but it's a boy. We officially won't mark the papers until twenty weeks to be sure but his legs are wide open here... The other baby is camera shy, we can try again at twenty weeks... Everything looks great I don't see any physical abnormalities." That made me feel better.

Ranger had a mega watt smile and kissed my forehead. The nurse gave me some napkins to wipe my stomach but Ranger took over the job. Another nurse came in to ask questions, take blood, my pressure and ask me if I feel them moving and how often. I was told to start documenting the feel of the movements and how often in a notebook so the doctor could monitor me closely. Eventually I'd have to do the same with kicks in the coming weeks.

"Your having a son Batman. I can't wait to see you two on Halloween. You can be Batman to his Robbin." Ranger had a big smile then frowned when I mentioned costumes. I laughed at him then went back to my magazine while Ranger read emails on his phone.

"I never noticed how similar I am to Kate Middleton."

Ranger raised an eyebrow at me and twitched his lips in amusement. "The Duchess of Cambridge?"

I gave him a cheeky grin "I'm surprised you heard of her, you don't know half the actors on Netflix?"

"She's part of the royal family, I do read the newspaper." I laughed at Ranger.

"Well she craves mint imperials and Werther's Originals candy, I crave Hershey Kisses. We've both experienced weight issues, people thought she was having twins her first pregnancy and we are having twins. We both dress fashionably for our stomachs and we both had to stop dying our hair. We both have male OB/GYN's and she rides around in a Range Rover, I rode in Lester's Range Rover. She had a boy, were having a boy. She lives in a palace, I live in a fortress... We're very similar."

Rangers lips twitched."Practically twins." The Doctor decided to make his entrance.

"Stephanie, Carlos my apologies. I was coming from the hospital... according to your chart you pressure is still a little high. I want you to start cutting back or I'll order partial bed rest which means you will have to take off mornings or afternoons before working... Your also a little underweight, I'd like you to put a little more meat on your bones."

I was annoyed. "You make me sound like a cow you want to eat."

He looked up from his folder with a curious expression."Your funny."

I was confused. "Really? You didn't laugh?" He had an impassive look then touched his heart with his hand.

"I laugh on the inside." My eyes widened and I turned my head to trying to ESP Ranger our doctor was weird and I didn't like him. Ranger just rubbed my back and asked questions about next steps on how to add weight safely, foods that would be helpful but healthy. As soon as the doctor left I changed into pants and boots. Ranger walked me over to Slick's car and kissed me goodbye.

"Where to gumshoe?" Slick loved saying that to me, it was growing on me.

I looked at my watch. "I need to pin down a cop for information, I don't want to get blown off over the phone...take me to the Tasty Pastry otherwise we will have to wait for lunch and corner someone at Pino's. Does Rangeman know the medical examiner?"

"I don't think so. Security crosses officers more then forensics."

I sighed "that's what I thought." I noticed a few patrol cars in the lot then Eddie in line, I pulled him into a corner.

"Hey Steph what's up?"

"Have you heard anything about the body in the Pine Barren's?"

"Not much, just that it was a women and her skull was bashed in from behind, blunt force trauma, no id yet."

"Do you think you can find out and let me know?"

He shook his head "you'd have better luck with Royce or Morelli. Information on that case is tight. I only know because I overhead them when I grabbed my coffee this morning."

"Can you tell me who the medical examiner is? Maybe I can get information from them?"

Eddie took out his phone and wrote his name and number for me. It was his turn to order so I told him to pick out two dozen on me.

"Your being awfully nice to me for a phone number... what else do you want?"

"Your my favorite cousin in law, I was hoping you and Carl might spy on Morelli and Royce for me, just let me know if you hear any scraps."

"That will cost you more then donuts, Shirley and I need a baby sitter tomorrow."

I was horrified. "Your kids are a nightmare! They cut my hair when I feel asleep last time on your couch... No anything else please."

Eddie had a big smile. "Nope that's what I want. It's not a big deal you have a Rangeman guard everywhere you go lately they can protect you or help... It's two adults against my kids, that's a piece of cake." I looked at Slick.

"How are you with kids?"

He shrugged "I've never watched any before." Slick was a big guy and quick. We might be ok. Eddie was still trying to sell me.

"It's easy just order them pizza then let them watch a movie. Stay awake this time and we will be home by 11 pm."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Fine but I want good information often. And-you-better-ask-everyone." Eddie was practically dancing out of the shop.

"I feel like I just made a deal with the devil. I need at least four donuts." Slick ordered four too. A cruller, custard, blueberry and cinnamon. I thought it was a weird selection. I ordered my usual jelly and Boston creme. I didn't feel too bad devouring them, I needed some happy back and the doctor said I was under weight. I was thankful I didn't order a dozen just for me.

"The chance the medical examiner talking to you is slim Steph, I know you didn't want to do an apartment search yesterday but the cops froze you out. It might be the only way to get ahead at this point."

I shoved another donut in my mouth. "I know." I checked Scott's tracker he was at work. "Ok start with the Medford location, it's closer and we need to be back before Rory's appointment." We listen to my new Spanish CD and I practiced together. It wouldn't help me too much today but at least I'd know a word or two for introductions. Slick helped me with my pronunciation and pace.

I looked over my file for Kate Westmoreland, 31, lived in Medford. She walked to work Thursday through Sunday for her job right on Main Street in town. It was the same road her apartment was on. She worked part time at an antique store and wasn't discovered missing until she didn't show up for work on her scheduled days to open the store. The owner called her for two days then reported her missing. Her boss Lisa said it was very unlike her and she loved to work at the store. Her apartment was on the top floor of an insurance business.

Slick and I made the trip in just over an hour. We watched the house from the street, the business was on the bottom two floors and the apartment on the third. I saw a separate staircase on the side. The door was a simple pick that I did it. Her locks were worse then my old apartment's. Slick and I placed on gloves and booties for our feet. We took another small set of stairs then came to a landing with a washer and dryer, across that was a door.

"This is nice. The laundry room is perfect and she's the only one that lives here so it's quiet at night." The door was another simple lock that I picked then used my flash light to look inside. We entered a small mudroom with hooks for coats, a shelf for mail and a small bench that held her shoes. We started looking through that room first but moved up another set of stairs into the actual apartment.

"This is kinda cool Steph. They transformed this attic into a huge living space with ceiling fans a full kitchen and bathroom." Kate decorated her home in shabby chic and added a faux fire place. The rooms had worn comfy furniture and different antiques throughout. It was only five rooms but twice the size of Ranger's penthouse. The living room only had dvd's and furniture, the kitchen was sparse and the bathroom clean. I looked over Kate's book shelf, she was an avid reader who loved mysteries, romance, comedies and a few science fiction. Slick jumped onto her computer while I searched her filling cabinet.

"She use to be engaged to a guy she dated all four years of college and even moved to Texas for then he broke up with her and she moved back home. Kate's ex got back with his former girlfriend a few months later then married according to Kate's Facebook messages.

"Ouch." I felt bad for her. Six years in a relationship and she had to start all over again. "Most of the furnishings and items in this apartment come from her place of work according to receipts." I moved to Kate's closet and started to check pockets and dirty laundry. In one sweater I found a post it note.

_Meet me for coffee today at 2 pm. H.W._

I closed my eyes and dropped my head. "This is her Slick. Look." Slick started to take pictures of everything including the note. I left it on the bottom of the closet so the cops could easily find it. Slick went back to the computer.

I checked Kate's nightstand and found some condoms, a rabbit and a romance novel. The box wasn't open. I checked under the mattress and in the vents. I found a hidden gun in a shoe box under her bed? I didn't see one registered to her on her basic background check. I unloaded the clip and it was empty, no box of bullets anywhere. I took pictures of the serial numbers to run. I checked Kate's photo albums... she didn't have many pictures of family just of her as a kid.

"According to her Facebook messages she had a nasty fight with her sister in law and the sister in law threatened to keep her child from the family to get her way in an argument. Kate called her on her crap and drama she was causing and her family agreed with Kate to her face but behind her back told the sister law she was in the right so they could see their grandchild. Kate went to Easter three years ago and they shunned her and her ex... the family made them sit at a separate table alone in the dining room and no one spoke to them the entire time. Kate stopped talking to all of them three years ago after that day. Her family tried to contact her but she made it clear she was through with their two faced backstabbing."

"Is she friends with any other victims?"

"No I checked that first... I think her secret was she was selling her eggs for money. I see links and records in her email. She doesn't make a lot part time... she was also looking into being a surrogate."

I touched my stomach and took a few deep breaths. "The apartment's clean. Let's talk to her employer and check for cameras in the area." We locked up then spoke to the land lord briefly, he rarely saw Kate unless she paid rent. He said she was really nice and he was holding the place a little longer for her. He described her as quiet, clean and a model tenant. He didn't recognize the suspect's picture. We walked down the street, Kate worked was less then 5 minutes away from her home. I could see how she was happy here, I could see myself here too if I had a different life.

"No cameras on this street and no banks in town." We went into the antique store, I saw a older woman with multiple pens sticking out of her hair and big thick glasses. I introduced myself and asked about Kate.

"I'm worried sick about her, it isn't like her to miss work. She even comes into the store when she's off shift just to see what's new and browse the inventory... She loved it here. Always decorating her home and reading." I showed Lisa a picture of my suspect but it didn't ring any bells for her. I asked if anyone in town had cameras in the area but she didn't think so, it wasn't a big crime area.

We walked to the coffee shop around the corner and showed a picture of Kate and the suspect, the owner recognized her immediately. She said Kate came in often but wasn't sure about the guy. It was getting late, we returned to the car to go to Scott's office.

"I need to do a full background on Kate then call some people tonight."

"You going to call the police?"

"Nope" I popped my p loudly. I was still annoyed with them. "I'd rather stay ahead."

I checked my camera and played with the buttons. Slick talked me into this specific model because of the long range capabilities. We pulled into the parking lot and positioned ourselves to get a good view of Scott's car. I noticed Rory parked next to him. I rolled my eyes.

"Want to know a secret?" Slick nodded.

"We found out one baby will be a boy, the other was camera shy."

Slick gave me a big smile. "I'm sure Ranger's happy, most men want a son and that means I'm half way to winning the pot. I wagered two boys, 6 pounds each and three weeks before your due date."

"How did you come up with that?"

"Internet." I started laughing. I pictured all the Rangeman Googling pregnancy websites trying to get the upper hand.

"How much is the pot?"

"Miami's is around $8,000, Trenton $12,000. Biggest pot yet. Everyone's been busting on your cars lately so they rolled over the cash into the twins weight, due date, eye color and gender. There's a pot for each one then a bonus for whoever gets the most correct."

I shook my head. "You guys need to find better things to do. I'm surprised Ranger allows you guys to still bet on me."

"It's all in good fun. Baby pools are common in most work places and the cars are a long standing tradition. We don't bet on you about anything else or Ranger would have an issue, we don't do it openly in the building."

"What are you going to buy if you win?"

"Motorcycle."

"I didn't know you ride. Maybe I should buy one after I deliver, I use to love to ride. I have an ex who owns a shop. We should stop by one day and check out his stock...there's Scott and Rory."

I pulled my camera and started taking pictures. They weren't touching but smiling at each other. They went in her car and started kissing. I took a few more pictures. Ten minutes later they parked walking hand in hand into the doctor's office. I left my big camera in the car and grabbed my cell phone.

"Pretend were together in the waiting room." I pretended to sign in then discreetly took a picture of them on my phone pretending to text. Scott was rubbing her stomach and whispering in her ear. The only open seats were next to them so I grabbed two magazines and Slick and I sat to listen to their conversation. They both decided to take the rest of the work day off and go to her apartment for a while to fool around.

I had to bite my tongue from chewing them both out. Rory and Scott seemed very in love. Why string Carmel on then? Scott could have divorce her then started dating whoever he wanted. It made me feel sick. They were called by the nurse so I left the waiting room to sit in the car. I screamed into my hands out of frustration.

"Why Slick? I don't get it why?"

"You don't know about their marriage... they could be incompatible or grew apart. Maybe he's an ass who likes variety or the thrill. Maybe he's bored, for men sometimes sex is just sex." Slick just kept watching me while I couldn't take my eyes off the entrance.

"Not all men cheat...I know Ranger wouldn't." I touched my necklace.

"I know. But five years from now... things change, people change. He's already a mystery, it wouldn't be hard for him to hide a mistress or affair, he has the means. I'd probably never find out."

Slick just shook his head "I think your wrong. I've watched him for years... he's a complicated man but he loves you with everything he has. He drops everything when your in danger or need his help. I've seen him check his phone in the middle of a meeting and walk out leaving Tank in charge. He puts so much thought, time and planning into your safety and needs.

A man who isn't committed wouldn't do half of those things...your a perceptive person you would know if something was off... Don't tell anyone but if I heard a whisper about him stepping out on you I would tell you. I respect Ranger, I'm loyal to him but I care for you. I wouldn't let you be a fool." Slick grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

Deep down I knew this really wasn't about my fear of Ranger screwing me over, it was possible but this was more about my past insecurities. I watched Scott and Rory exit the building hand in hand.

"I think this may be my only cheating case... I don't have the stomach for it."

"Your the boss... Don't lose faith in people just because you see the bad apples day after day. I've always respected you as bounty hunter because you saw the worst people but it didn't affect your outlook on humanity."

"I'm pregnant, your going to make me cry if you say things like that to me." We both started laughing. Slick parked us on the street outside of Rory's apartment, I took pictures of them walking inside.

"Her curtains are open in all the rooms. Let's move to the bushes for the shot." I slowly made my way out of the car with Slick. The camera felt heavy in my hand just like my heart. Slick grabbed the camera from me.

"I got this." We sat on the ground, I heard him clicking away. I didn't even look, I just sat starring at the street. After ten minutes Slick helped me off the ground.

"I'll print and add them to her folder while you have your appointment with Ranger. Were a few minutes late, you should let him know." I took a few breaths. I didn't want to worry about telling Carmel all night tonight and lose sleep over it so I ripped the band aid off and asked her to meet me later. I sent the pictures from my phone to Slick to print then sat quietly.

Slick tried to cheer me up but I wasn't in the mood. I tried changing my focus to Ranger's parents. I saw him wanting by his Porsche Spyder when we parked. I thanked Slick and told him I'd see him later. Ranger knew something was off, I tried to fake a smile.

"I guess you caught him?"

"Yeah. I'm about to close my first official case and I feel awful about it." Ranger scrambled the cameras and lifted my chin with his finger.

"Instead of seeing the bad side Babe, you should see the glass half full. Your helping a woman who has been deceived by her husband and giving her answers... I told you once _"you got no business making judgments. You just do your job, and bring the man in. Got to trust in the system."_

I rolled my eyes "Because it_ beats the shit out of anarchy. _I remember. All were missing is a stale cup of coffee for you and some soggy fries for me and it's three years ago." Ranger hooked his fingers in my pant loops pulling me closer for a kiss. When we separated he rested his forehead against mine "It's time for Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle to do Newark. Are you still up to it?"

"Always."

Ranger opened my door and I relaxed into the seat. I checked my hair and makeup in the mirror. "Is their any last minute advice before I met them?" Ranger took a few minutes to think about it.

"My father calls me Ric and my mother calls me Carlito. They only call me Ricardo when angry and they hate the name Ranger. I always went by Carlos to my friends in Newark and Miami. My siblings use a mixture of those names. Whatever they may say, I don't want you to take personally. If my father makes a rude comment it's directed towards me not you. If at anytime you want to leave we leave. Their opinion of my life doesn't matter to me, don't waste your breath defending me it will fall on deaf ears... I don't visit often but when I do it's to see my mother and Abuela Rosa or one of my siblings. I'm not active in any of their lives but I try to make an appearance and help them occasionally when they need money or in my brother's case a divorce lawyer." I put my hand on top of Ranger's. I could tell he wasn't excited about going.

"How long has it been since your last visit?"

"I think Spring. I stopped by briefly when I knew my brother was in town. I check in once in a while but I don't go to the family events otherwise I'd be up their weekly for a birth, death or party. My mother calls once a month to invite me to the holidays or certain people's parties, I don't attend unless it's a major death." My stomach started growling. I forgot I didn't eat lunch. I went through my bag for a snack. We drove silently to his parents home, I could tell Ranger wanted to be in his zone so I stop talking.

We pulled up to a small house that was well maintained, it felt out of place since the neighborhood was more rundown. Ranger looked at the cars parked on the street.

"My parents are home, I'm not sure about anyone else." Ranger kissed my forehead one last time then touched my stomach. I didn't wait for him to open my door I just wanted to get this over with. I was preparing for the worst. Ranger wrapped his arm around my waist then rung the bell.

I looked into his eyes "Proud of you Batman." Ranger's lips twitched. A small old woman with a cane opened the door and started speaking in rapid Spanish trying to pull Ranger down to kiss his cheeks. All I could manage was Carlito. Ranger bent down to kiss her cheek then spoke Spanish. Abuela Rosa eyed me up and down, frowned then went inside.

I bit my lip."That didn't seem good. She doesn't have any powers right?"

"No. Just don't lie, she's fast and annoyed were not married. Old school Catholic." Ranger pulled me into the house and walked up to a woman my that was my height with Ranger's eyes and smile. She was a beautiful with soft touches of grey in her hair. She kissed Ranger then tried to speak in Spanish but he stopped her.

"Stephanie only speaks English." Ranger pulled me forward. "This is my girlfriend Stephanie Plum." His mother's excitement died down, she lifted her hand to shake mine.

"Nice to meet you Stephanie. I've heard a little about you from Carlito over the years. Please come sit in the dinning room. I didn't know you would be stopping by, we just finished lunch, I'll make you two plates." Ranger tried to stop her but she went to the kitchen anyway. I looked around their home, it was small but warm in vibrant colors and pictures all over the rooms. I tried looking for Ranger in the photos but I didn't see any. His siblings were just as attractive as him but shorter. We walked into the dinning room and sat at a table with a man reading the paper. He looked like a much older version of Ranger with salt and pepper hair. Looking at his parents I knew Ranger would age well and felt jealous.

The man lowered his paper. "Ric." Ranger didn't say anything, he just nodded and we sat. They were having a staring contest, the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Normally I'd introduce myself but I was afraid to speak. I could tell right away Ranger got his glare from his father, it was chilling. Ranger's mother walked back into the room with two plates and silverware.

"I made ropa veja for lunch, you use to love it Carlito." Ranger and I thanked her. I wasn't sure what I was eating but it looked like steak with tomato sauce, black beans, yellow rice and some plantains on the side. It tasted pretty good. Ranger had a bite but wasn't eating with gusto like me.

Ranger's father spoke up "Is there a reason for your visit other then the obvious? You don't call often, come to holidays or family events."

I squeezed Ranger's knee. "Carlos wanted me to meet his family and I wanted to as well. I think it's important the twins learn both cultures."

Ranger's mother spoke up "I wish you would visit more Carlito, family is important... although you should be married to your child's mother. At least this one is in New Jersey, I can see my grandchildren this time." Ouch. That one hurt me and I wasn't even the target.

"Her name is Stephanie or Steph. Not this one. I never kept you from Julie, you could have stayed in touch with Rachel if you wanted too. I update you as you ask and send pictures when you want them." His mother shook her head and sighed.

"And what about this situation? Will it be the same? Is there any point for me to get to know Stephanie?

Ranger's eyes looked angry but his face was blank. I pulled his hand to touch my stomach so he would calm down. Ranger looked at his hand then took a moment before he spoke.

"Steph isn't Rachel. This isn't fourteen years ago. I have my own business and I'm in love with her. We are raising the twins together every step of the way. I'm committed to her and our family."

Ranger's father spoke up with a grunt "Committed but unwilling to marry. When will you grow up Ricardo? You come here when you please in fancy cars and clothes but you haven't changed since you were a boy." Ranger was about to speak but I cut him off.

"I'm not ready for marriage. If you want to be annoyed, be annoyed at me. I had a bad marriage before and I refuse to get married because I'm pregnant. If one day that changes we will decide it together. We won't be told what to do in regards to our own family."

His father turned to me. "You want two bastards? Your as foolish as Ric." Ranger stood up and slammed his hand onto the table making the plates jump.

"Don't you dare speak to her that way or call them that." Ranger's father stood up and leaned forward on the table.

"You know where the door is Ric. You make the same mistakes over and over, by thirty three you should know how to use a condom by now after all the women you slept with." I grabbed Ranger's arm before he took a swing at him. I tried calming him down.

Ranger's mother spoke up "Ricardo stop it! Both of you sit down!" Abuela Rosa was yelling at both men so Ranger's father left the room.

I whispered to Ranger "It's ok. Spend time with you mom... a few more minutes then we can go."

"I don't know why you two have to do that every time Carlito."

"My life is my own. I don't tell you things because you both react this way."

"You've always been my difficult child... how are the babies are they well?" Ranger's eyes softened and he sat back down.

"Yes. One will be a boy and the other were not sure yet." His mother's face lit up.

"Another Ricardo, I'm so excited." Ranger shook his head.

"I don't understand? It's tradition in our family to name the first born son after his father. Will you name him Carlos?"

"We haven't decided yet Mama." His mother frowned. I felt the tension building again.

"Do you have any pictures of Carlos I could see Mrs. Manoso? I've been dying to know what kind of baby he was?" His mother's face brightened.

"Of course! Let me get the baby box." She rushed out of the room. Abuela Rosa just kept staring at us like she was trying to work something out. His mother sat back down and placed the box between us. She opened it up, I noticed it was more then his baby items inside, their were pictures of him from his teens too.

"His baby shoes and baby photo. He was always a quiet baby and ate so much." Ranger looked adorable with lots of hair. I had my work bag with me and decided I wanted copies. I didn't know if I would ever come back.

"Would you mind if I made some copies right now? I have my scanner with me?" His mother nodded. I waved my wand over everything while I looked at him over the years. Ranger always had long hair and a tough guy expression. When he told me he was small and skinny I couldn't picture it, he was nothing like this kid anymore. I noticed he never smiled for pictures after six years old. I saw a few pictures of Julie in this box, she was a beautiful baby who looked more like Rachel. The last photo I looked at was Ranger's wedding day. I thought mine was bad but Rachel looked sick, her stomach huge while Ranger looked angry and reserved in his military uniform.

"Will the babies have a Baptism? Will they be raised Catholic?"

I looked at Ranger "Since were both Catholic yes and probably. Were still focusing on the pregnancy." Ranger's mom frowned again.

"Stephanie you seem like a nice girl...we don't want to get attached then have the rug pulled out from under us again. Maybe in time we could have a relationship but it's difficult right now for many reasons..."

"I'm aware and I think it's ridiculous. Your son is one of the best men I know and my personal hero's who served his country honorably, built a business from nothing and is responsible for not just himself but his men, Julie and our children.

You act like he is still that fourteen year old kid causing trouble again. He made mistakes, he's learned from them. You say your Catholic but where's the forgiveness? Everyone just keeps condemning him with the guilt. Even if we were married this second, you and your husband would still see an issue... so lay it out for me and lets cut to the chase. What do we need to do for everyone to move on already?"

"I see why you and Carlito are together. You have a similar attitude. It's easy to say forgive and forget it's harder to accomplish that sentiment. A lot has happened over the years, it can't just be washed away."

I shook my head "You can't have it both ways. You either want him in your life like I saw when we walked in or you want to condemn him, keeping your relationship the same. I'm telling you right now, I don't care who you are, if either of you talks poorly about Carlos in front of our children then your not welcomed in their lives." I touched my stomach."They will have a happy childhood I assure you, you can be apart of it or stay away, it's your choice." His mother gaped at me then started talking in Spanish to Ranger.

"Mama English."

I could see the tears building in her eyes."I can try but I doubt things will change, it's been to long. I want to see my grandchildren but your father is your father...Carlito hasn't been apart of this family for a long time, things can't just change over night... I miss my happy little boy who use to lick my spoons in the kitchen. I don't know what happened and then it spiraled out of control."

"You gave up on him... you can change that now." Ranger's mother was silent for several minutes then she took a deep breath and stood. She walked over to Ranger and got on her knees hugging him, crying into his chest. She was mumbling in Spanish. He rubbed her back a little. He whispered something into her ear then after a few minutes she sniffled and stood, walking back into the kitchen. Abuela Rosa followed her, leaving us alone in silence.

Ranger stood and took my hand. "Time to go Babe." He kissed my head and walked me back to the car. I was very confused.

RPOV

Once we sat down at the table I knew I made a mistake by coming. I was hoping my father was at work today so I could spend a little time with my Mother and Grandmother. When my father was rude to Babe and called my children bastards I felt an uncontrollable rage inside of me. I was ready to walk out and to say to hell with them and never come back.

Babe was my family now and that's all that mattered to me. I saw in Steph's eyes her plea for me to stay a little longer, I only complied because my father walked out. Seeing that box of pictures and mementos brought up a lot of unhappy memories for me. I saw all my mistakes and all the pictures of me that once were displayed in this home in this box hidden.

I didn't want Steph to defend me, I told her in the car not too but she is an unstoppable force when she wants to be, a gladiator fighting for those she deems worthy. I'm still surprised she deems me so. When Babe told my mother if anyone spoke poorly about me then they weren't welcomed in the twins life, I respected her decision. I felt the same way about her parents but I expected my mother to start yelling at her. Her response was unexpected. Instead of anger my mother broke wide open for the first time like nothing I ever saw before. I didn't want to be in that house any longer so I drove us back to Rangeman.

"It's none of my business and you don't have to tell me but what just happened in that house?"

"You said the one thing that haunts my mother everyday... she regrets giving up on me and doesn't want either of us to die as strangers. She told me she prays for me everyday and she couldn't promise the rest of the family but she wants to try with me again. I told her I was sorry I caused her so much pain. She told me she wasn't so worried about me anymore because I had you." Babe's pregnancy hormones were making her emotional. I saw some tears building in her eyes again.

"Not to sound like a therapist but how does that make you feel?"

I had to really think about it. "I won't go out of my way to force anything, if my mother wants to reconnect over dinner I'd invite her to our home with your blessing... We can't repair the past but we can try to make something new. We have our own family Babe, I don't need to repair anything broken to complete myself, I filled that void a long time ago."

SPOV

I picked up Ranger's hand, kissed his palm then laid it on my stomach. "Remember when I mentioned Oprah moments... I think you just had yours."


	55. Chapter 55

SPOV

Ranger and I drove in a comfortable silence back to Rangeman. While in the garage his phone started to ring, he paused to answer it. He said Manoso instead of his normal Yo and his whole body language changed. He was standing straighter at more at attention then said "Yes Sir." That's when it hit me. He was leaving. I felt numb. I looked into his eyes, he knew I knew.

"Babe let's go upstairs we need to talk." I didn't have any words, my mouth felt like it was filled with cotton balls, all I could do was nod. Ranger called Tank letting him know he was leaving and needed to see him in thirty minutes in his office. He pulled me through the penthouse and sat me down on our bed.

"I have to go into the wind for a few weeks maybe a little longer. I have two hours until my plane. I need you to listen to Slick and Tank and not give them a hard time about your safety." Ranger started rubbing my stomach. "I need you to not push yourself hard, rest and eat not just for me but them. I'm going to ask Ella to remind you, not because I don't trust you but I love you and I need you to be healthy... I'll focus better knowing your being taken care of..." Ranger pushed a stray curl behind my ear. "We don't have much time Babe." Ranger lowered his lips to my neck and started kissing towards my ear, unbuckling my pants.

I snapped out of my frozen state and grabbed his face crashing my lips to his, both of us removing each our clothes. Ranger was trying to savor the moment but I knew we didn't have much time.

"I love you Babe." Ranger kept whispering it over and over while kissing my arms, chest then neck.

"Babe look at me... I need to see your eyes." I wrapped my legs tighter around his waist as he moved quicker in and out of me. "Promise me you'll stay safe." Ranger was leaning over my entire body, our lips barely touching.

It was hard keeping my eyes on his, he felt so good. "Carrrrlos" Ranger picked up his pace more. I was so close, he knew it. He wouldn't let me come until I did.

"Promise."

Ranger pushed his tongue into my mouth, pounding his lower half into me until we shattered together. He never pulled out of me, just rolled us over so I could lay on top of him. I buried my head into his neck trying to memorize how he felt, the smell of his sweat and touch. Ranger kept giving my bare shoulder little kisses.

"I want you to stay here in bed. I have to go meet Tank then catch my flight. It's hard enough to leave, I'd like to remember you here so I can focus once I'm out the door." I knew what Ranger was saying, he needed to lose Carlos and be Ranger again. He needed to focus but I didn't want to let him go. I took a deep breath of his scent and just nodded. I didn't trust my voice anymore. I knew this was his life, I knew long before we got together. Like all the things he accepts about me, this is one I needed to accept about him. I knew he couldn't tell me where he was going or when he may come back... I just wanted more time with him. Ranger pulled himself from me then dressed in our closet in street clothes. He grabbed a few things from his safe, checked his weapons then grabbed his go bag from the closet.

Ranger sat on the bed, cupping my face for one last kiss. "Don't go crazy."

"Don't get shot." With one last peck to my stomach he was gone. I didn't move. I closed my eyes and melted into the bed. I grabbed his pillow to smell and hold tight. I heard the front door click closed before I let the tears fall. I knew from the start this was his life but I grew accustomed to our bubble. Five months of being together nonstop was better then any other time in my life, I was worried one day he may not come back, may not meet his children. The distance wasn't the issue for me, not knowing if he was ok would weigh on me.

RPOV

When I saw the blocked number I knew my time was up. I thought I had a few weeks but I was prepared mentally regardless. I knew what I signed up for, I knew I had to finish my job. When I heard I only had two hours I was annoyed I couldn't spend my last remaining hours with her in bed, memorizing her scent, little scrunches of her face or her taste. I couldn't tell her where I was going or when I would be back, I didn't know myself.

The timing couldn't have been worse, Tank was distracted, Babe still had two threats and my family meeting left a lot to be desired. Babe also needed someone day in, day out who will remind her to take care of herself. I love her passion and drive but I worry about my son and his sibling growing inside of her. She has grown a lot but she still has a streak of impulsiveness that keeps me up at night trying to figure out ways to curb it without changing her. I just want her to think through situations instead of running head first into the unknown. It's not just her anymore, I have a son.

My son. I couldn't even put into words to the feeling I had when I was told I would have a son. I didn't want the same relationship I had with my father, I didn't want my child to avoid or hate me. The moment I found out Babe was giving me a son I placed my hand on her stomach and promised him I would support him regardless of his choices. I would let him be his own person and help him navigate through rough waters, teaching him how to make better choices. I wanted him to know he meant everything to me and I was nothing but proud. With Babe as his mother I knew he'd know unconditional love even if I was reserved in with my own words, I'd try to express myself with actions. It's not a familiar thing for me, I'm still learning with Babe.

I didn't tell Babe I dreamed our other baby was a girl. I didn't want to rewrite my mistakes with Julie, I just wanted a mini version of Babe to hold in my arms and chase. I pictured my daughter with my skin color a few shades lighter, blue eyes and wild curly hair. I imagined her rolling her eyes at me and pouting when she did something wrong, saying "Papi it wasn't my fault!" I'm a hardened mercenary but that would do me in. I wouldn't care what she had broken I'd comfort her and tell her it wasn't important, that she was, just like I tell Babe when she destroys my cars.

Being with Steph before I go into the wind always centers me. I'd rather spend all my time with her but I needed to get my head on straight. Men who can't separate their lives from their work, end up getting themselves killed due to distraction. I met Tank in my office alerting him to my unfinished work, client meetings and outstanding assignments. We had a few meetings on the books with some of the alphabet agencies, FBI, DEA and I didn't want us to miss out on a lucrative contract. Construction was also starting on our home and I wanted it finished before Steph delivered. I knew she liked Rangeman but she doesn't love it here. This place isn't home to her. When she talks about our new place that's home. I expected to buy her a large mansion or build something modern but she fell in love with an above average house. It didn't matter to me where she wanted to live as long as it was secure.

"Try not to let Steph go over to the house while construction's in place. And don't let her move in while I'm gone. I want to inspect it first."

"How long are you gone?"

"A few weeks but it's outside the country... could take time. I have Steph's appointments on my calendar and Ella knows to provide distraction bags for her them. Steph is uncomfortable calling Ella for food when I'm not around so remind Ella to send some up anyway. She had an appointment today, she's underweight, make sure she eats healthy fats and keeps calm for her blood pressure.

If she passes out she needs to go to the hospital, no exceptions. Hand cuff her to you or Slick and check her in. If she goes on bed rest, place someone to watch her and make sure she stays off her feet. I don't care if you have to work upstairs in my office. Ask Ella to check on her tonight for me too. Don't let Steph have too much processed sugar, I don't want her developing diabetes and Slick already knows to monitor her dehydration levels but if she has another guard inform them. She likes to minimizes things, keep an eye on her." Babe has turned me into a worrier and I hate it. I wish she would sit in Rangeman all day, off her feet, wrapped in bubble wrap.

"I want eyes out from Cross and Jeanne Ellen, if either show up get rid of them. Morelli shouldn't be an issue but if he tries to kiss Steph again, break his other leg. Slick knows the situation, let him do it if your busy. Slick has been working almost 14 days straight. He may need a break soon, grant it but not more then 3 days at a time while I'm gone and put the best man we have on her. Watch Slick for burn out and replace him for a day if he needs it. I haven't seen any issues yet but I don't want any surprises while I'm away." Tank was smiling, Babe was always surprising us, it's why my men are so much more trained here in Trenton then Miami. Half the things that have happened to her, Tank and I have turned into training drills for both offices.

"Don't let her go camping or hiking unless Slick has a fully stocked pack and make sure Slick has a stocked go bag in the car for her with anything she may require while out in the field. I have an alias for her in my safe if she becomes compromised and a new set for Slick as well in the same envelope. Between us she has another set or two not made by Rangeman. I prefer she doesn't use them until I have time to vet them better." Tank raised an eyebrow in question. I shook my head no. I couldn't explain Ethan gave them to her. I was positive Ethan would never give her any bad id's but I didn't want to take the chance since I only briefly looked at them to write the names down in case Babe ever ran.

"I've already alerted Eve I'll be busy the next few weeks and told her I'm helping Steph while your out of town on business. You don't have to worry about her, I'm focused. You worry about yourself at this point."

I just nodded. I knew Tank believed he was focused and in this moment he was but he hasn't hit the point where he juggles his work with his relationship yet. It takes a long time, I know, I was distracted with Babe for years then again when we returned from the wind. I'd be fine for a couple days then she'd float into my mind to the point I'd have to check on her or break in and watch her sleep. I had a feeling it would be the same for my friend. Babe was my drug of choice, Eve was Tank's. I dismissed him. I had faith in Slick, I had too.

I looked at my watch again, I only had twenty minutes before I had to leave. I opened my go bag and pulled out three of the the story books Marisol gave us in Miami. I hooked it up to my computer and started to read each story, they weren't long so it didn't take much time. I did two stories in English and one in Spanish. I didn't just do it for our children, I did it so Babe could hear my voice when she needed to feel close to me.

I took a moment to think of things I could be missing in the coming weeks...Valentine's Day came to mind. Damn. I'd already agreed to Calvin's charm designs but nothing else. I pulled out a simple card from my desk that was blank. I normally used these to thank clients for joining Rangeman but I had nothing else on hand. I took a minute to compose my thoughts telling her I was thinking of her and sorry I was away and that I would take her somewhere special when I returned. I explained each charm to her then thanked her for being the mother of my children and loving me. I signed it Carlos and sealed it. I left it with the baby books on my desk and went to the garage.

Tank and I road silently to the airstrip. "I left items on my desk, I want those books left out for Steph tonight to see and the card is for Valentine's Day. If I'm not back by then give it to her along with the Cartier box that will be delivered next week and a single red rose on her breakfast tray that morning. Have Ella prepare something with Strawberries. I don't want Steph alone that day so encourage her to be with friends or do something for herself like the spa. Take it out of my accounts if you get her a certificate."

"She's strong, she has her work, I doubt she'll mope for more then a day or two but I'll watch her and call Mary Lou if I get stuck." Tank parked the car and we bumped fists.

"Keep your head down solider and get your ass back in one piece." I nodded. I took the stairs onto the plane and told the pilot I was ready to leave. I wasn't looking forward to meeting my new handler.

SPOV

I don't know how long I cried but I feel asleep. I heard an annoying ringing, I smacked the alarm but it wouldn't stop. I realized it was the penthouse phone and groaned. I looked around for Ranger then realized he was gone, feeling sad and alone all over again. My throat was dry and my eyes hurt. I grabbed the receiver "What?"

"Steph it's Slick, I tried calling you on your other phones, you have a meeting with Carmel in 30 minutes. Are we still going?" Crap I forget.

"I'll be down soon. Sorry."I jumped out of bed looking like a crazy mess, my hair looked like I was shocked by a light socket, my mascara down my cheeks, dried drool on my chin. In one word horrible. If Ranger saw me he would walk back out that door. I washed my face then reapplied my makeup. My hair was a lost cause so I covered it with a winter hat that had some sequence on the edges. I said goodbye to Rex who was in his soup can and left him a grape as I ran for the garage.

Slick had the car started just waiting to pull out. He handed me the envelope full of pictures. I went through my bag pulling out my print out of notes to give to Carmel. I didn't know what to say to her, nothing would lessen her pain. I wasn't in the right state of mind myself at the moment.

"You ok to do this? I know Ranger's away..." No I wasn't but it was better then sitting around crying.

"Fine. After our meeting I need to hit the grocery store for a few things then I'm in for the night." Slick turned on some John Legend while I watched the dark streets of Trenton. I'm not a church person, I only attend on major holidays or when my mother guilt's me but I may stop by tomorrow to pray for Ranger's safe return and make a donation. I just needed to keep myself busy.

It was a cold night to meet Carmel, I knew a small private cafe a few streets over that was quiet and had several rooms to relax, read books or sit on your computer all day. It's internet was faster then my apartments so I used it on occasion. I had to think about getting an office eventually to meet clients.

"I'd rather tell her alone Slick, you can be nearby but try and look like your not watching us. The news will be hard enough without an audience, her reaction could be a one to Adele." Slick was smiling.

"The singer?"

"Yeah. Have you heard her break up songs?"

"No I have a penis. When women break up with me I play on my game system, drink a beer then find someone new." I rolled my eyes.

Slick walked into the cafe getting in line to order us drinks. I spotted Carmel sitting with her cup of tea. I took a deep breath squaring my shoulders. You can do this man up Plum. Carmel was a lot prettier in person wearing a wool dress and tights, she reminded me of Jeanne Ellen, not a hair out of place. I sat down and did brief introductions then pulled out the envelope to show her.

"I'm very sorry Carmel... I have evidence Scott was unfaithful but he's also having a baby with his mistress." Carmel looked at all the pictures angry then I saw the hurt fall over her. It was a slow night so no one but Slick was around us.

"He got her pregnant... her. I can't believe this, we have been talking about trying for over a year now and he always said he wasn't ready or it was a bad time. It's like I don't even know him right now." The tears were streaming down her face, I grabbed some napkins for her.

"I've been in your position, I know their is nothing right now that I can say to make this better. Your hurt, angry and now grieving the life you thought you had and afraid of what could happen next. Right now your in shock and denial, it hurts but it's best you know now and not months down the line.

If you love him you could try counseling and if you can't anymore then divorce. You do what you need to do and not what other people tell you to do like family members and friends. This is your life. If you want to cry at home and eat macaroni and cheese then you do that. Eventually your going to feel an unbearable pain in your heart and maybe guilt over why this happened... think about what you did to to make him betray you but it's not always your fault. Don't let your self esteem crumble because of him.

Your going to wake up everyday and be fine for a minute then it's going to hit you again and again that this has happened. Take a few minutes then get up and do things for you again. Wear nice clothes, put on your make up everyday. Your not going to want too but you need too, trust me. Sometimes faking it until you make it, is what a person needs just to get out of bed most days. Your going to hit the angry and bitter stage then want to burn all of his things, although satisfying, you don't want to give him an inch against you if you want a divorce. You make more money then him, be careful with that. You don't want your hard earned money going to his mistress or love child.

In time your going to wake up from these feelings and finally hit some kind of acceptance. I know it seems far off right now but I promise you will. You might be scared to move on but trust me the grass is greener on the other side and your beautiful enough to find someone who will treat you like you deserve. Don't get stuck, mourn then do things for you, see friends, go to movies, hit a comedy show." Carmel just nodded to my words and kept looking at the pictures.

"He looks so happy with her, I didn't know he was unhappy with me. We never fought and still have sex regularly. I can't believe I need to be tested now. Look at him touching her stomach like a doting father... what was he going to do sister wife us? Have them move in?"

"I don't know, you need to figure that out. If you don't seek counseling together and want a divorce, talk to a lawyer first before you tell Scott, so he doesn't do something stupid like empty your accounts over night. Have your lawyer hang onto these photos and give him my number if he has questions." Carmel wiped her tears and thanked me. She took several deep breaths and left with the file. My heart hurt for her. Slick sat down and gave me a black and white cookie with a cup of hot chocolate.

"That was pretty good advice. I expected more of a scene."

I shrugged my shoulders "It's what I would have wanted someone to tell me. I got really screwed over in my divorce because I couldn't hire a great lawyer and a majority of my friends and family were telling me to stay and turn a blind eye. Sometimes you can't." I shoved the cookie in my mouth, I was done today. Between Ranger's family, Ranger in the wind and now Carmel, I just wanted to be in bed for the next few days.

Slick took me to the Stop and Shop and pushed my cart around with me. Normally I ate a ton of process junk but I was trying to eat better for the twins. I picked up a weeks worth of Ben and Jerry's which had calcium I decided, whip cream because it was practically a condiment like ketchup, some Italian cookies I could crumble over my ice cream, a few trays of mac and cheese for dinners, graham crackers, a couple cans of soup, a bag chocolate bars and a few frozen pizza's.

I tried to buy organic as much as possible so Ranger wouldn't have a cow when he found out. This wasn't a big shopping trip just some comfort food. Most of the healthy stuff Ella had already stocked anyway or I could eat in the break room.

Slick wouldn't let me carry my bags which was annoying they weren't even heavy, since he wasn't allowed on the penthouse floor Tank had to carry them into the penthouse for me then helped me put everything away.

"I've never seen this much junk food in this building, you better hide it before the Boss gets back."

"I bought as much organic as I could find. I'm pregnant, I have needs, I had a shitty day so give me a break this once."

I started popping the tray of mac and cheese in the oven. I looked over to Rex's cage sitting on the counter and noticed the grape was left untouched. That was weird. I tapped the glass a few times but he didn't move. Oh no. I ripped the lid off and pulled him out of his soup can, he felt cold and moving, his eyes stayed closed. I tried to pet him awake but he didn't move. I held him, letting a muffled cry leave my chest.

Tank POV

I looked at the bags of groceries Steph bought, Ranger is going to have a conniption if she eats all of this, he hates junk food and wants Steph to eat as healthy as possible. I could tell it was foods to make her feel better about Ranger leaving... what am I suppose to do? Take it from a pregnant woman? It felt wrong. I was putting away the last bag when I heard a cry come from Steph. I turned and she was sitting on the floor holding something in her hands against her chest.

"What's wrong! Is it the babies!" I started pulling out my phone when I noticed Rex in her hands. Her damn hamster. Shit. The damn thing couldn't have died yesterday when Ranger was here, it's not like I can switch him out now for a new one. I got on my knees and took Rex out of Steph's hands placing him back into the cage.

"I'll send someone out right now and get you a new one... it's ok don't cry." She had the biggest blue eyes with big crocodile tears falling down her cheeks. It broke my heart to see her this upset.

"I don't want a new one. I want Rex!"

I didn't know what to do I just hugged her against my chest and patted her back. I pulled out my cell phone and started messaging Ella to double time it here because Rex died. I didn't understand why I couldn't just buy her a new hamster. It wasn't like it did anything other then sit in it's cage all day. I tried to think of Rex as a real person and what I would say to someone who just lost a loved one.

"He was a good boy Steph, he lived a long and happy life with you, he loved you a lot and wants you to be happy one day after you grieve." I couldn't believe I was saying this about a hamster.

"I'm sure Rex died peacefully in his sleep from old age but I can ask Eve to do an autopsy if it would make you feel better." Steph just started crying harder. "Or not. Umm we can plan the funeral when your ready, something nice, I can help you with the arrangements and pick out a tombstone." I wanted to hit myself in the head. Why did I just offer that, it's a hamster not a person.

"You know when I lost one of my friends I wrote him a letter letting him know how I felt, it helped me remember the good times and funny moments. We could try that now if you stop crying." Didn't work. I was running out of ideas. I'm not use to woman crying. "If you don't want another hamster we can go buy you something else... Ranger said you wanted a dog. I'll go buy you a puppy right now if you stop crying." What I wouldn't give for an emergency right now, a gun fight, a break in, something. Where was Ella?

"It's ok little girl. It's a natural part of life, he couldn't live forever..."

"He was my roommate and best friend. I talked to him all the time, I just left him alone for a few hours. I was horrible to leave him. He was a great listener, he didn't make me feel so alone."

"Your not alone..." Ella came through the door with a shoe box filled with colorful tissue paper, some ribbon and grabbed the flowers off the credenza. I watched her place Rex into the box, tie the ribbon on top then attach some flowers under the ribbon. I didn't even think of that. I wanted to smack myself in the head.

Ella looked at the scene with sad eyes. "Poor dear. Move her to the couch Tank."

I picked up Steph and had to sit with her on the couch since she had a tight grip around my neck. I had a feeling this was more then Rex's death, I think she was missing Ranger a lot. Ella handed Steph the box for her to hold then grabbed a book off the breakfast bar. She opened up the pages to Ranger's voice reading a story about the night someone was born. It started to settle Steph down to a sniffle.

"I'm sorry. I'm not usually a cry baby, I hate crying, I just wasn't expecting this to happen after the day I had." Ella gave her tissues to blow her nose while she rubbed her shoulder.

"Was Rex your first pet?"

"No, I had a cat named Katherine but she ran away and Bob lives with Joe." Maybe I should steal Bob for her...no Ranger would kill me if I brought Bob here.

"It's ok dear, first pet deaths can be very hard. Like people we get attached to animals as well, it's nothing to be embarrassed about, my son had a rabbit he loved and when it passed was heart broken. It's ok to cry and grieve. Rex was your friend. I'll take care of everything and we can put him to rest tomorrow." Steph just nodded and eventually fell asleep after playing the story with Ranger's voice one more time. I picked Steph up and placed her into bed. Ella took the hamster, cage and accessories out of the apartment so Steph wouldn't get upset again. I removed her dinner from the oven and had a plate to comfort myself.

"What's your plan Ella?"

"As I said we will lay him to rest tomorrow morning. It's not too late tonight, I'll have a stone engraved with his name and have Slick dig a hole at her new home somewhere in the backyard tomorrow. Maybe I'll blow up a picture of Rex and bring a CD player for a song to be played. It helped my son a lot, I think it will help her too."

"Your giving Rex a real funeral? He's a hamster?"

"To you he was a hamster. To her he was a friend and companion for years. Think how attached you are to your cats. That animal was stability in her life. It might seem silly to you but it will help her move on. Now if you'll excuse me I have to figure out some arrangements. I'll come back and check on her in a little bit."

"I still can't believe were doing this." I used both of my hands to rub my face.

Ella was at the door just about to leave. "Believe it dear, your delivering the eulogy."


	56. Chapter 56

RPOV

As I sat on the private plan, I thought of all the changes in the company since my last mission. Ethan was the General, his former number two John Braxton died from an "accident," being replaced by a man named Frost. Frost's job essentially is to supervise debriefs and do the dirty work for the General. I didn't hear much about him, it's only been a few months but I was hoping he was better then Braxton, I prefer efficient over slow and painful.

I've know for a while I had a new handler since Cross told me in Rome then Tank confirmed it in Greece but this was our first meeting. I was on edge, I didn't like change especially with less then a year left on my contract. I went to the normal nondescript office building, taking the stairs to the third floor as usual.

I found the correct office then took a long look at my handler leaning against the wall. I didn't recognize him, he wasn't in the field recently. He had dirty blonde hair and no muscle tone and only one gun on his ankle. I'm guessing a paper pusher or a new analyst they just bumped over. I didn't like being anyone's learning curve, this punk screws up my intel and I end up dead.

I noticed two empty chairs to my right and Dom sitting in the third. I took the outer chair leaving the middle open. I had a better feeling about my mission knowing Dom was on my team. He was good, ruthless, efficient, followed orders without question and had excellent stealth capabilities. Both of us had Latin features which meant we could be traveling to somewhere in South America.

I had more experience in the field then Dom, I assumed I would lead this mission unless one of the five people came to this room in the next ten minutes who out ranked me. I heard the door open, I didn't turn my head but checked my peripheral, Oxanna walked through the door. Damn. She wasn't ideal but at least I knew I was in charge now.

Oxana was a mixture of different backgrounds but primarily Argentinian, skilled sniper and explosive's expert. Neither of us had any sexual history but she was interested for several years. I never mixed business and pleasure in the past with active agents, sex is sex to a man, to a woman a one night stand could lead her to wanting more which leads to hard feelings. I didn't want mixed feelings with the people I had to work with, leading her to possibly try and kill me in my sleep. It wasn't worth in in the past and I have Babe now. Looking at the skills in this room I realized my role. I was the hunter, tracker and leader for this operation.

Our handler opened his file then passed out sheets for us to read. The background was for a chemical engineer, Keith Abbott, studied at Cambridge, 36, divorced, wife has custody of the child currently in boarding school. I briefly looked through his achievements, mostly in pharmaceuticals, some government work here in the U.S. and U.K. Abbott was doing some research in Spain but it didn't state specifically what he was working on. Currently Abbott was unemployed taking a sabbatical, rumored to be working on creating pilot plants and modifying existing plants. None of this was useful to me. I read over the intel, Abbott was kidnapped from Spain then spotted in Brazil then Colombia and was now rumored to be in Tena, Ecuador. I ran through what I knew about the location, that city was in the amazon rain forest, it was a lot of ground to cover with several compounds. I looked up waiting for the other two to finish. A few minutes later our handler spoke.

"Your assignment to to retrieve the asset and his work. Manoso is lead. Any questions?"

I spoke up "It doesn't state who took him, motive or threat level."

My handler thought for a moment, I could tell he didn't know. Great. "You have everything I have. Plane leaves in one hour. Dismissed."

I walked with my team down to the sub floor and loaded up on extra ammunition, pre-packed bags for the rain forest, then added extra medical supplies, night vision scopes, flash lights, knives, matches, dried food packs and a million other things. My pack was going to weigh a ton but I needed to be prepared, we were being sent in completely blind.

Tank POV

When Ella dropped the bombshell I was giving a eulogy to a hamster, I knew she was out of her damn mind. I went to tell her that fact but she already made it into the elevator to go down to her apartment. I ran down the the single flight of stairs, catching her at the door. I told her I wasn't the right man for the job and she would do much better. Ella told me if she did, then I would have to comfort Steph during the funeral. That wasn't going to happen. I tried to list anyone I could think of who would be a more appropriate choice but Ella kept saying Ranger would have done this for Steph and technically at this moment I was Ranger. She tapped my cheek and told me to strap on my big boy pants and suck it up.

Feeling chastised and defeated, I went back up to the penthouse to finish off the try of mac and cheese, trying to write something about Rex. I started off with, the many times we spent together then realized that wasn't true. I didn't do anything but feed him occasionally or clean out his cage. I tried again with, when Rex kicked the bucket then decided that was a decent start... I think I even remember someone's funeral begin that way growing up.

I hated funerals. Ranger and I went to enough to last a lifetime, friends, family, fallen brothers in combat. I hate the smell of funeral flowers and feel uncomfortable in a stuffy suit. I called Eve for advice, she told me to pull the line about kicking the bucket because it would hurt Steph's feeling. She told me I needed to get over myself and just write something kind whether I believed it to be true or not. Eve's advice was to speak from the heart, if that wouldn't work, mention some observations of his behavior. In the end this wasn't for Rex, this was for Steph. Eve had to deliver puppies so I was left with her notes but not a speech.

I pushed my Rangeman work aside rubbing my face raw, stressed I couldn't find the words. I kept cursing Ranger for not being here to deal with this shit... I kept telling myself this was for Steph, I should write comforting words for her. After hours of scratching out lines, I decided to rest and wake up tomorrow with a fresh head.

The next morning I still had very little clarity so I wrote his interests and after two hours I just strung different words together on a note card as I listened to some music. Ella asked me to dress up in formal attire since everyone else would be, I tried to refuse but Ella said it would be disrespectful to Steph not to be. I swear if anyone records me today I will kill them.

SPOV

I had an awful day yesterday. I woke up several times during the night just to use the bathroom. I didn't want to get out of bed or go to the kitchen to see Rex's empty cage. I noticed Ella left a note on the alarm clock with the time of the funeral and the time she would be up to help me get ready.

I didn't have anymore tears left inside me, I just held Ranger's pillow tighter, playing the recording from the story book again. I loved his voice, it brought me peace. I missed Ranger so much. I was up for hours laying in bed with my clothes still on from yesterday, I just couldn't sleep through the pain anymore, no matter how much I tried. I heard Ella knock on my door then enter, she sat on the bed with me, pushing my hair out of my face.

"It's ok dear...Someone once told me _you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have_. I know you don't feel like getting up today but it's important you do. I've made all the arrangements, I just need you to let me know if you have any special requests or a song in mind._" _I thought about it for a long time.

"I'd like him buried with his wheel." Ella squeezed my hand.

"Of course. And the music?" I guess I was quiet for too long because she started to list a few.

"Frank Sinatra _My Way, _Bette Midler W_ind Beneath my Wings_, Judy Garland _Somewhere over the Rainbow?"_

I made a face. "None of those really fit Rex."

Ella started staring off into space "Let me think...that Puff Daddy song _I'll be missing you_, Adele _Someone like yo_u..."

I shook my head vehemently. "No Adele... I am not at Adele yet." Ella gave me a curious expression.

"Led Zeppelin _Stairway to Heaven_, _Bye Bye Baby_ Bay City Rollers, Johnny Cash _Ring of Fire_... Norah Jones _Come Away with Me_..."

"The last one. It's not a traditional song... he wasn't traditional but I'd also like _Spirit in the Sky_ by Norman Greenbaum. Could we play both?"

Ella smiled warmly at me. "Anything you want. Let's get you into the shower then dressed." I did my normal routine then placed on the black dress pants and black blouse Ella laid out on the bed for me. She left me out a pair of black ankle boots with my black pea coat. No matter what I did, my makeup around my eyes was still messed up making them angrier. I adorned on a pair of sunglasses Ranger had bought me months ago and took a deep breath before leaving the bedroom. I looked at the counter, his cage was missing, all that was left was an empty table top and my cookie jar. Ella was sitting at the dinning room table with two covered plates.

"I hope you don't mind, I thought I'd eat with you today before we leave. I know your not hungry but it's important for the babies you try. I made waffles with fruit and my blueberry syrup you like. I even put some whip cream on top and cooked a few strips of real bacon, don't tell Ranger." I wanted to laugh but I just smirked. Ranger thought bacon was the devil. I had a few bites for the babies then drank my orange juice. Ella finished eating then placed the plates in the sink for later. She pinned black ribbons on both of our outfits then held my hand as we walked to the elevator.

Grandma Mazur POV

When I received a call Rex had passed away I knew my baby granddaughter would be upset, she loved that little fur ball. Ella told me she was planning a small funeral and wanted to invite me since Mary Lou had to work and Lula and Connie said they had better things to do today. I asked Christian to attend but he already had a doctor's appointment on the books for blood work, I understood. I was standing around waiting for my ride.

I dressed in my usual attire, deciding to wear purple just like royalty wears to funerals. I heard a knock on my door, Slick did not disappoint looking scrumptious in a tight black suit, tie and black ribbon pinned to his jacket.

"Well hello handsome." Slick gave me a big smile and winked.

"Hey beautiful lady. You ready? We can't be late." Slick handed me a black ribbon to pin to my jacket.

"Wouldn't miss it. I love a good funeral, I'm hoping for an open casket. I hate paying respects when it's closed, it makes me feel like no one is really inside so I have to check."

Slick frowned. "I'm not sure. I think it will be closed out of respect for Steph. I haven't seen her but she was really upset yesterday according to Ella and Ranger's out of town right now." That man was always working but he was a looker. I'd over look his hours too just to sleep with him.

"Well my fella had an appointment so your my date. I hope Ella made cookies, she mentioned a small spread after the service." I linked my arm with his to the car.

We arrived at a big house fifteen minutes later. I saw different potted flower plants, Creme de la creme roses, orange gerbera daises, purple lisianthus, some green button poms, creating a path to the backyard.

"Who owns this house?"

"A friend. Ella thought this spot would be best with all the nature around, no one would disturb his resting place here." We followed the path until we saw a blown up picture of Rex, more potted flowers near the hole and chairs that made a semi circle. I took a seat in front then noticed a small bucket of single daises for mourners to place at the end when they gave their respects.

I elbowed Slick. "Is it just me or is this over the top for a hamster? I've been to human funerals with a lot less."

Slick laughed at me. "That's Ella. She likes to go the extra mile... she thought this would help Steph cope and move on. She asked neither of us laugh or make fun of the ceremony as well. Ella will probably frown upon you opening the shoe box. If you want a peak it has to be when Steph isn't around." I understood but this was a hamster.

"Who is that big guy walking out of the house? He looks familiar?"

"Hal. He helped me set this up with Ella."

"Who paid for all of this?"

"Ranger, with Ella's help. Ella said Ranger would have wanted too." The flowers alone were a few hundred dollars. It was really sweet to see these big strong men do something for my baby granddaughter. It warmed my heart a little.

Tank POV

I was waiting in the garage for Ella and Steph. Both came down dressed in all black and silently sat in the back seat. Ella passed me the black ribbon pin but I glared at it. I wasn't going to wear a pin for a hamster. Ella pursed her lips in displeasure then firmly placed it into my hand. I sighed then put the damn thing on. We drove silently to Steph's house, I noticed Ella holding Steph's hand while Steph looked out the window at the passing scenery. I kept reminding myself this was for Steph, Ranger would have done the same with Ella's help. I looked at the shoe box wrapped in ribbon and flowers on my passenger seat. How did my life ended up here? Will I have to do this one day with Eve too? I hope not.

I parked my black SUV behind two Rangeman fleet cars then grabbed the box and opened Steph's door for her to hold him. I watched Steph breath deeply several times then run her fingers over the box. I felt like a big ass now. She was hurting and I needed to support her.

"Give me a few minutes Tank, I just need to set up the music then escort Steph over." Ella ran to the backyard with her CD player. I didn't know what to say, I didn't want Steph to cry so I said nothing. I heard Norah Jones C_ome Away with M_e then saw Ella give me a sign to come over.

I linked my arm with Steph's walking her down the potted plant path. This thing had to cost Ranger a fortune. I had to hold in a laugh. How was I going to explain this when he got back? Ranger didn't care about the money but he didn't like waste either. I'm sending him right over to Ella if he has an issue with this. I walked Steph to her seat next to Ella and her Grandmother. Ella took Rex from Steph, placing him in the hole. I saw all the chairs filled with Slick, Grandma Mazur, Hal and now me.

I whispered to my men "If anyone speaks of this day again mat's for a month." Both men just nodded. I couldn't threaten Grandma Mazur, I'd have to bribe her instead. Steph had a tissue in her hand, I noticed she kept staring at her hands in her lap. Once the song finished Slick got up to speak. What is he doing?

Slick unfolded a piece of paper then spoke "Ella asked me to read a poem today... I felt_ I am the Gentle Autumn's Rain_ would be fitting by Mary Elizabeth Frye." He cleared his throat.

_Do not stand at my grave and weep_

_I am not there, I do not sleep._

_I am a thousand winds that blow,_

_I am the diamond glint in the snow._

_I am the sunlight on the ripened grain,_

_I am the gentle autumn rain._

_When you wake in the morning hush._

_I am the swift, uplifting rush_

_Of quiet birds in circling flight,_

_I am the soft starlight at night,_

_Do not stand at my grave and weep_

_I am not there-I do not sleep._

Steph started to lightly cry, Grandma Mazur held her hand while Ella rubbed her shoulder. Slick cleared his throat again, I could see he was uncomfortable.

"And now Tank will deliver the eulogy." I rubbed my face then checked my phone for any last minute emergency. None. I confidently walked up to the front next to the picture of Rex. I looked down at my feet and noticed the circular garden stone with angel wings in the middle, the words said

_Rex_

_You Have Left my Life,_

_But you will Never leave My Heart_

I pulled my speech out of my pocket, my shirt felt very tight around my neck all of a sudden. I tried to adjust it then I coughed before I began.

_"It's hard to put into words when nothing seems appropriate... I didn't want to use any cliches today. Rex was known by many names, The Wonder Hamster, The Attack Hamster, friend and companion. Today I'd like to suspend our sorrow long enough to speak about Rex's life." _I took a deep breath.

_"Hamster eulogy wasn't something I ever thought I'd Google but not many results showed up anyway. I was given the advice to speak from my observations and let the words come to me... Rex was honest, pure and a lover of celery. He had many hobbies, exercise, food hording and was very proud of them. _

_He was a top notch hamster, who would have won the Olympics in wheel running had that existed and it didn't squeak so loudly you wanted to WD-40 it everyday to make the torture stop... I believe Rex could have been a model on a hamster chow box with his stubby legs, small ears, short tail, and soft groomed fur._

_When thinking of Rex's life... Ranger came to mind. We know Ranger would be here today making this speech instead of me if he could. Like Ranger, Rex was an avid runner, a catholic, a lover of fruits and vegetables, a silent companion who twitched his whiskers in communication like Ranger uses the word Babe... No one understands either except Stephanie. _

_Like Ranger's aversion to being grabbed or touched, Rex would attack as well. Both preferred to be a loner's, always in action, territorial of there homes and neither should be put into cages with other animals..._

_I believe Rex lived for many more years then he should have for Stephanie... not just as a friend and companion but guardian, waiting to trust another to protect her for the rest of their life. I believe Rex was waiting for Ranger to take the reins so he could finally rest in peace knowing he did a job well done. Although Rex is mourned today, he will never be forgotten, living through those who deeply loved him. __I think Eminem said it best_

_"When I'm gone, just carry on, don't mourn, rejoice every time you hear the sound of my voice, just know that I'm looking down on you, smiling, and I didn't feel a thing, so baby don't feel my pain, just smile back." _I cleared my throat again.

_I truly believe Rex is running in that big wheel in the sky, __watching out for Stephanie on her shoulder as a spiritual guide in her times of need, __flying around with his little angel wings, kicking his pink little feet causing a shiver to let her know he is with her... when you feel that Steph, you should smile back...Umm Amen."_

I looked up at the audience Hal and Slick were both bright red trying not to laugh, Grandma Mazur had her fist in her mouth looking at the ground. Ella was gaping at me and Steph was staring confused.

I crossed my arms over my chest, glared then huffed "I told Ella not to let me do this!" That's was all it took. The crowd fell to the ground laughing. I kicked Hal in the leg as I walked past taking my seat again. I knew I should have faked an emergency. I looked up and saw Stephanie, she placed her arms around my neck hugging me. She whispered into my ear

"Thank you. No one else would have done him justice." Steph pulled my note card from my hand, placing it into her pocket before returning to her seat. Ella stood to speak.

"Thank you everyone for attending today. I will pass out single flowers to be placed on his shoe box, I ask you pay your respects then go inside for some refreshments." Ella turned on the CD player again to_ Spirit in the Sky _Norman Greenbaum.

Slick and Hal went first tossing their flowers into the hole then taking a moment before stepping aside. Grandma Mazur followed then Ella with Steph. I watched Steph place her flower then kiss her two fingers to his shoe box as a final goodbye.

I waited for them to be out of ear shot. "Hey Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dumb, bury him then clean this up before you come inside." I tossed my flower and followed the ladies. Ella had set up a few tables with linens and more flowers from the funeral. I saw a picture of Rex on the table with coffee and juice. I noticed some cookies, a fruit spread, danishes, croissants, bacon, sausage, ham and a covered dish of eggs. All my favorites. Steph took a small plate then listened to the soft music in the background. I pulled Grandma Mazur aside and asked her not to mention today or my speech, she was unwilling until I offered her a few hundred dollars. I hope that would be enough.

SPOV

Everyone was about to leave so I decided to say a few words. I took a sip of my drink and stood. "I just wanted to thank everyone for attending, the effort, the flowers, the service and especially the eulogy... it was amazing...I could never repay you for what you have done today. It means so much. I never expected all this...it's overwhelming. Thank you again."

I'm not a hugger but I gave each person one with a kiss on the check. I checked my pocket again for Tank's speech. I'm happy I took it off his hands before he destroyed it, I couldn't wait to show Ranger. I needed to frame it with a picture of Rex. Priceless.

"I feel bad all of these flowers will go to waste."

"Nonsense dear. I'll use them at Rangeman to cheer up the place." Ella squeezed my hand. "You have a great day now and I'll see you for dinner tonight." Ella kissed the side of my head then left. Hal was breaking down the last of the tables and chairs before he took off to Rangeman too.

Grandma Mazur walked with me to the car. "That was one of the best funerals I've been to all year... And the big man's speech, I laughed, I cried, it was beautiful and the spread was top notch. I want Ella to plan my funeral now. What are you doing the rest of the day, I have a date with Christian but you can join us since Ranger's out of town?"

I tried to fake a smile. "No thanks Grandma, Slick and I have to babysit Eddie's kids tonight." I checked my phone and saw four messages reminding me of that fact. Work. I needed to work or I will be in bed all day.

Grandma Mazur shook her head and gave me a sympathetic look, she knew Eddie's kids too. We returned her safely back to her apartment then sat in the front seat together.

"Doing good Steph... like you told Carmel yesterday, fake it until you make it. I'm here to help." I nodded.

"Where to gumshoe?"

"I need to run a full background on Kate and talk to the medical examiner... Take me to his office now maybe we can distract him enough and peak at the file."

I was nervously biting my lip. "What do you think the body will look like? A Skeleton?"

Slick took a deep breath and moved uncomfortably in his seat. "No. In normal soil I'm guessing it will look like a body still, decomposition takes eight to twelve years to become a skeleton in normal conditions." Great. I really didn't want to see a body today.

We parked and walked into the outer office. I pressed a button on the desk then waited for someone to buzz us past the glass divider. A man almost 6 feet tall with dark brown hair and green eyes smiled at me and buzzed us through.

"Stephanie Plum what brings you to my neighborhood?" I was a little put off he knew my name then again a lot of people did these days. I had to think for a minute what his name was from the little piece of paper Eddie gave me.

"Hey Andrew. I just wanted to ask some questions about the woman found in the Pine Barren's... I heard blunt force Trauma. Anything else?"

He pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key. Ugh. "It's confidential... I heard you moved out of your apartment, I saw it several times from removing all the bodies over the years. It was an ok place. Where are you living now?"

I ignored his question. It was none of his business. "Hypothetically what did you find out about that body?"

Andrew laughed. "Not much. Do you know how many bodies come through that door everyday? I've barely done the external examination which includes noting her clothing and description of the body other then the obvious. I still need to check out the central nervous system, do an internal examination of her chest, abdomen and pelvis then run toxicology to form any opinion." I sighed.

"What can you tell me that would be helpful?"

Andrew thought about it. "I like you, I was four years older then you in school but I always liked you..."

I knew where this was going. "I'm taken. I can set you up with a friend instead."

"Deal. She's on the first table, my notes may or may not be next to her. I'm taking a fifteen minute break now, what you do is your business but don't touch her." Andrew walked out of the secured door and down the hall.

I looked at Slick horrified "I don't think I can do this. I see a body and I usually puke."

Slick laughed at me."Be my look out. Do not leave this secured office or my ass is fired." Slick turned to leave but I grabbed his arm.

"Wait! Anything could be in there... a contamination of some kind. I know this sounds crazy but T_he Walking Dead_ really makes you think about these things... I don't mean zombies but some kind of illness or plague could be inside that room... cover your nose and mouth first!" I pulled off my blue scarf and wrapped it around his face. I couldn't see Slick's mouth but his eyes were frowning at me as I tied the scarf tightly. I grabbed the knob to the morgue, closed my eyes and pushed Slick inside.

"I don't want that back, it has death cooties now."


	57. Chapter 57

Note: Thanks for all the comments! I never know what I will write until I take out my tablet for the day and start. Life is too serious, it's nice to escape with all of you everyday!

SPOV

I kept looking at my watch waiting for Slick to come out of the morgue. I saw Morelli on crutches and Royce walking towards the door so I hid behind the desk. I pulled out my phone to call Slick telling him not to come out. They buzzed the button several times then waited. I still felt a little bad he was hurt maybe I should send a get well card. I peaked around the desk and they were still waiting.

Come on, go away. I was about to call Royce to tell him I was at his desk when they decided to give up. I let go of the breath I was holding and alerted Slick it was safe again. He came out a few minutes later and removed his gloves thrashing them with my scarf. Slicked grabbed my hand pulling me out of the door, walking briskly down the hall.

"What did you find out?"

"She was hit in the head from behind but she was cleaned up, looked perfect before she was placed into the ground. Similar clothes as the other victims and wrapped in plastic. I saw scratches on her feet like she had been running barefoot and a cut on her knee like she fell but the wounds were clean. She had bruising on her upper arms from being grabbed. He already changed her hair color, eyes and curled her hair and she had an acetone smell near her mouth..."

I stopped short. Horrified "You smelled her mouth! Why!" I felt sick. That was just gross. I put my hands on my hips. "That scarf was for protection! You wasted a perfectly good scarf."

Slick frowned "You sent me in remember?" He placed his hands on his hips. "Can I continue?"

I frowned. "I don't know, I'm afraid of what you did next."

Slick laughed. "I'm not into necrophilia Steph...The acetone smell means a toxin was present could be ethanol, lacquer or chloroform." Slick pulled me to continue our walk towards the exit.

"How do you know that?

Slick sighed loudly then dropped his shoulders. "It's your fault. In that first meeting regarding this case you mentioned bitter almonds for Cyanide then I got paranoid and researched different smells so I couldn't be poisoned by an angry one night stand."

"But you-smelled-her-mouth... don't put that on me. It's gross." I shivered. "We need to make new rules in our partnership... when you do gross things like fart, pick your nose, smell corpses, don't tell me. Ugh! Next your going to dip your finger in a puddle to taste it then tell me it's pee and they ate asparagus that day."

Slick crossed his arms "Urine has a distinct odor, your being ridiculous. You accept food from strangers."

"Please that's not as bad as smelling a corpse's mouth, you know how they say pot is the gateway to other drugs, this is the gateway to something. I don't know what but something." Slick tried to respond but I held up my hand. "I need a emergency donut before we continue, I'd rather booze but I have to be sober for a crap load of more months." I felt flustered, I couldn't think straight. I walked quickly out of the building as a man stepped out in front of me. Slick got between us, pushing him back. The man raised his hands to surrender.

"I just want to talk to Stephanie Plum, my name is Melvin Steed. I work for the Trenton Gazette but I'm here on my own accord for a proposal I have." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not giving an interview Melvin and I don't make comments to the paper."

Melvin shook his head. "I'm not here for an interview exactly... listen I've been trying to write a novel and I'd like your knowledge and experience to help me develop the character. I want to model her after you. You can ever help me write it, we can co-author."

My eyes widened, this guy was nuts. "No thanks, I'm not interested in being a writer or sharing my life with anyone. Your paper writes enough lies about me as it is. I just want to be left alone." I tried to walk away but he got in front of me again. "I've had a bad few days Melvin, I'm not in the mood. You should walk away before my friend makes you." Melvin tried to reach into his pocket but Slick grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"My card. I just wanted Stephanie to have it, in case she changes her mind and those stories Miss Plum come from sources, we don't lie." He looked annoyed I accused him of such a thing.

"Your sources suck. I remember your name now, you reported that allegedly killed my ex husband Dickie Orr and interviewed Joyce as your source, everyone in Trenton knows she hates me." He tried to defend himself but I cut him off. "I can't believe that out of 5,000 sperm you were the quickest... guess what Melvin your village called they want you back by 3 pm."

Slick started to laugh while Melvin looked confused. "Because your an idiot." Melvin frowned, he gave Slick his card then walked away in a huff. I walked back to the SUV and drove silently to the Tasty Pastry. I ordered half a dozen donuts and ate three before I let Slick talk again.

"You may continue, I've eaten my feelings enough to hear the rest." I took a page out of Ranger's book and started rubbing my stomach to calm myself.

Slick shook his head "Sometimes your adorable and sometimes your such a girl. I can understand why Ranger was crazy about you for so many years..." At the mention of Ranger my heart hurt, I just wanted to smell him in that instant.

"The medical examiner's notes matched the approximate time line of Kate's disappearance but they don't have a name for her yet. The killer tried to clean up the wound from her head, my guess, he hit her with too much force with some kind of wooden object, a stick maybe a bat because I saw a splinter in her hair line he missed near the wound. I didn't see any bruising on wrists or ankles. I doubt she was tied up. She had bruising around the impact area on the back of her head and some friction burns on her shins.

No defensive wounds on her hands or arms, I peaked at her finger nails and didn't see anything underneath them. The bruising on her arms looked like someone grabbed her from behind as I said and she was about your height, makes me think the guy about 6 foot tall.

The intake notes said she was found with her clothes on which leads me to believe no sexual assault happened but I could smell bleach on her body, he used it to destroy evidence. The plastic tarp was new, it didn't have any blood spatter, my guess fresh before he put her into the ground. It could be purchased from anywhere, Target, Walmart or a hardware store.

I checked her clothes, they were clean and all of her nails were painted and polished, no sign of any dirt under her toe nails. In my opinion she ran away then he found out and either killed her bi-accident or because he was mad. But if he angry then he would have beaten her or at least struck her with his hand somewhere on her body first. I didn't see any major marks but I didn't flip her over either. I took pictures of everything for you, I won't show you since your squeamish."

I pursued my lips in annoyance. "Look who's talking, you got more issues then vogue."

Slick started laughing "You don't know the half of it. I got drunk once on leave and have a weird tattoo on my ass."

My jaw dropped. It was super inappropriate but I really wanted to see it. "What do the ladies think of that?"

"Most of them don't see it because I keep them in a position not too. I'm too lazy to get it removed and haven't found anyone amazing enough that I cared what they thought of it, so it stays for now."

"What is it?" Slick had a big smile on his face but didn't respond and wasn't going too. Damn. Now I'm going to think about it.

"Take me back to Rangeman I need to run that background before we babysit tonight and now you've got me paranoid about poisons again. What did you learn?"

"I remember reading about dead bodies and certain smells that toxins leave behind. If you smell a pear it could be a chloral hydrate, rotten apples could be a gas, cinnamon could be pulmonary tuberculosis, a fish odor could be liver failure, garlic could be arsenic, musty means penicillin, Violets is turpentine and peanuts were vacor. I have a big list somewhere, I'll make you a copy. I only remember the odd ones."

I shook my head "You said you wanted to be Sherlock Holmes when we started working together you kinda are, I'm super impressed. Why are you working in private security?"

"I get to carry several weapons legally, it's like the Army and it pays well with benefits and such." He bumped my shoulder. "Protecting you has been a bonus, your never boring." I blushed. I preferred boring most days.

Slick and I got out of the car at Rangeman, I stopped and started looking around. I got a Spidey sense feeling but no one in sight.

"What's wrong?"

I kept looking around. "I don't know. I don't feel safe all of a sudden." I felt crazy, this was Rangeman and a secure garage but I couldn't shake this feeling. Slick pulled me close to him and had us take the stairs.

RPOV

Being on another plane for long hours has given me the opportunity to map our location and make a plan. I was lucky this wasn't spring or I would be drowning in the rain fall, not back for months. Although my team and I were heading to the amazon rain forest, I had a feeling before takeoff that Babe needed me. I had to shake it off and focus, it wasn't helping I could still smell her on my skin. Once in flight I washed her Mango lotion off my skin. I didn't want too but I had too.

I brushed my teeth and took a few deep breaths finding my zone. I needed to get in and out. I sat back in my seat with my laptop looking at the intel provided with possible locations an asset could be held, it needed to be secured, large, and have a lab.

Tena was the capital of Napo Province, I've been to that city briefly many years ago after a mission waiting for transport and had happy memories. Santos purchased cinnamon in bulk because he liked it in his pancakes but was drunk at the time, Tank waited for him to go to sleep and covered him in bags of it. He tried to wash himself for days but the scent didn't disappear and everyone kept smelling him everywhere we went.

I've been to much worse places then Tena, at least it was a semi tourist area with a hospital, small airport, running water and places to sleep other then the ground. When I first arrived with my unit I remembered a statue before you entered the city of Jumandy, the hero of the area who led uprising against colonizers. Years later Santos made a joke we should have statues of the three of us in the lobbies at Rangeman welcoming guests. He was outvoted quickly and smacked in the back of his head.

I had no doubt my asset was moved out of the city into the jungle for privacy but at least for a few days I would have some accommodations to organize my search and gather more supplies. What made the area challenging was the waterways on foot, the country had a few bridges but I don't want the kidnapper's to see us coming on normal routes for our attack to be most effective. We would have to go the way less traveled which brought it's own dangers, animals, bugs, plants and weather. Rain forest's also hold indigenous people who don't always welcome outsiders. I decided our cover would be tourists working towards the reforestation projects.

Oil is also a hot topic in this country, we will have to tread lightly not to step to far into anyone's territory, companies usually hire security or mercenaries to protect their product from being stolen. Most roads in Ecuador are unpaved because of the numerous landslides which could delay our mission. I will have to secure my team rafts and possibly kayak's for us to travel under the radar and cover more ground if the roads are washed away. The only thing I can't plan for in this area are volcano's, earthquakes and tsunamis. If anyone of those happen then we need to find cover or evacuate until it's safe to return.

I made a few phone calls to some contacts to check the civil unrest in the area, I wasn't surprised to hear their were several political demonstrations currently going on blocking major streets. My team and I know to avoid these groups but sometimes they invade areas while we are doing recon. I did not want to be caught in the middle when the police released tear gas, a peaceful demonstration turns nasty in an instant and I had enough on my plate. It made it hard to pick a location once we landed to spend the night.

If I was the kidnapper I'd move my prisoner to the northern border. Crime was high in that area with arms trafficking and drug channels to Colombia. People kept their mouths shut in that area making it easier to hide someone. U.S. government officials are also suppose to stay out of that area because of the amount of Americans kidnapped in that region.

If caught we don't exist, the only help we receive is if the General sanctions it after two missed check ins but my hopes weren't high. Ethan cares for Babe in his own way, I'm just the man who got her pregnant. Ethan knows what I have done in my career and can guess the things that I haven't written in debriefs. I know he wasn't expecting me to be Steph's partner and would prefer with a safer man, a man without dangerous enemies. I also impregnated Babe while on a mission not earning me any points. Maybe this was Ethan's way of punishing me, this wasn't the most dangerous operation, it was tedious. Ethan made it clear in our meeting I wouldn't receive special treatment, he held true to his word.

Ethan may have visited Babe over the years but he was a lot like me, he never bonded with Steph and I never bonded with Julie. Ethan met Steph at six, providing her with support and friendship, the thing she needed most while I provided Julie money. When Ethan gave Steph the Swiss bank account, I thought the amount was rather large. I wasn't going to say anything to Babe but I felt Ethan had contributed some of his own money as well, whether back child support, guilt, I will never know. I hated having my mind cloudy. I shook off my thoughts and focused again. I looked up at my unit.

"Oxanna research the asset's past work, try to figure out what his current research entails." She was best with chemistry and science due to her explosives training.

"Dom check satellite imaging to narrow down any compounds that require lab equipment. I understand their could be many because of the drug cartel but team up with Oxanna to track shipments or a supplier." I went back to looking at the area maps, marking the sections that could hold threats or any escape routes to add to my contingency plans.

I needed to secure several cars not just for our escape but search. I wasn't worried about the crime rate in Ecuador although high with violent offenses, robberies, anyone that tried to attack our team would be in for a rude awakening.

I remember leaving Ecuador on the way to our airstrip with Santos and Tank when some punks tried to car jack us at an intersection. They were lucky we were running on a tight schedule or Tank would have snapped their necks. He kept saying he picked up some kind of flu but I believed it was after effects of Ayahuasca, an amazon psychotropic plant that he drank and thought was tea. The night before he took off all of his clothes and danced around, emotionally he was all over the place and couldn't think straight for hours. I had to tie him up and watch him. We were lucky he only had a few sips before he said it tasted like ass and tossed it or he would have been unmanageable.

It's hard looking out not just for yourself but your team, it's easy to come into contact with malaria, dengue and yellow fever, leishmaniaisis, chagas or tuberculosis. I've packed a ton of insect repellent and made my team wore treated permethrin clothing, packed bed nets but it only takes one bite. I refuse to bring anything home to Babe, putting her at risk was unacceptable. If I do contract anything, I may have to quarantine myself after this mission and move to a safe house in Trenton to protect her. I get my vaccinations regularly but things happen, I need to minimize the risks.

Depending on the intel Oxanna and Dom find, we may have to go into the high altitude areas which means I need to secure more equipment and watch my team closely for effects in energy levels, blood pressure and digestion. If we aren't all working effectively then it slows us down, I want this wrapped up sooner rather then later. I checked the weather report in Ecuador for the next week, so far clear with a chance of rain at the end of the week.

I already know I'm driving this mission, I refuse to get killed because someone on my team isn't use to rough road conditions. Like many countries Ecuador doesn't have crash barriers or guard rails on there roadways, I don't want to trust someone else not to slide us off a cliff because of rain or fog. Over the years I've seen different teams crash because of stupidity or speeding.

I looked to see my team sleeping in there chairs. I decided to take a leak then rest a few hours. I did my business, washed my face, then opened the door to go back to my seat. I took one step out of the bathroom then stopped short when I saw Oxanna standing topless in front of me, giving me sexy smile.

"Your stressed Ranger... let me help you with that." Oxanna immediately dropped to her knees.

SPOV

Slick and I have been sitting in the War room for hours. I still don't feel safe in Rangeman which is crazy. This is the safest place in Trenton, probably safer then the Governor's mansion. I never felt this way before, I told Slick, he has been keeping close to me and even checked the garage cameras but didn't see anyone. I wanted to chalk it up to hormones or Ranger being away but the feeling wouldn't pass go...It was driving me nuts, like an itch I couldn't scratch. I can't explain it, it's not like I'm being watched or in immediate danger... those feelings I know...I can't put my finger it.

I know Slick informed Tank of my feelings but he can't act with an non existent threat. I printed off my background information on Kate then looked at the time, now I feel dread. I needed to go take care of Eddie's kids soon.

"Tell me about Eddie kids. Do I need to pick up extra handcuffs before we leave?"

"Probably, he has three boys Kevin I think 12, Ben is 10 and Doug is 8 or 9. The middle one Ben is the mastermind who comes up with awful pranks and Doug is hyper. He isn't allowed any sugar when we arrive. Kevin goes along with the other two but comes up with bright ideas like cutting my hair while I sleep, keep an eye on him... Eddie can't keep a baby sitter and my cousin Shirley whines about everything under the sun. Please don't get her talking. I don't know why Eddie married her other then her massive chest."

Slick was playing with his pen thinking. "How did the medical examiner know you moved? Don't you think that's weird?"

"No. Grandma told everyone about her new place, the Burg is faster then CNN... she also told everyone Tank gave Rex's eulogy." I started laughing. "I know Tank paid her off but he wasn't specific enough, Grandma didn't tell people what Tank said exactly but she described it as spell bounding and now wants him to write her eulogy."

Slick started laughing "I'm serious. She said she was adding that to her final wishes."

"I have to go to that! I don't care where I am you have to invite me. I can only imagine what Tank would say or how he would describe her... I'd place money he'd compare her to one of his cats, something about the cat hair on his clothes being like the glitter Grandma Mazur wears or calling her a frisky free spirit who likes mittens." It was true Tank's speech would be fascinating and unique.

"I know Grandma Mazur wants a whole production when she dies. I can only imagine her wishes, Chippendale dancers handing out programs, her dressed in a ball gown with a tiara, an open casket of course, high end cookies like Entenmann's Madeleines to be served. And that's on the reserved end of my ideas."

We both packed up our bags then drove to Eddie's house, in all the years the house never changed, except for the new blue paint on the shutters. I dragged my feet from the car and slowly walked to the door.

"You ok?" Slick rung the bell as we waited on the stoop.

"Peachy keen jelly bean...this place is like Harry Potter's Azkaban." Eddie and Shirley opened the door together.

I whispered "And here are the Dementor's sucking all the happiness out of my life this very minute."

Shirley gave me a dirty look. "Your three minutes late Stephanie. I'm glad Eddie told you the wrong time now to get you here early...You look heavier in your mid section, you should lay off the donuts." She gave me a sympathetic face. "That's probably why Joe broke up with you, a muffin top isn't sexy..." Eddie cut her off before I smacked her. She whined about being interrupted then huffed away. I covered my ears, her voice was like nails on a chalk board.

"Steph, Slick, come inside. Sorry about her." I looked around their home, it was perfect, neat, just like every Burg home was suppose to be. "Here pizza money."

"Edddddieee, I can't find my purse!" Eddie rolled his eyes. "Ask the boys!"

Shirley walked over a few minutes later as we sat down on the couch. "Ok long story short, they are all doing their homework in the kitchen right now, Kevin's stomach is bothering him since lunch but he's ok, I think it's just an upset or constipation. The emergency numbers are on the fridge, don't let them play with knifes, guns, any chemicals and try to keep them in the house this time. No friends over, watch them on the phones and internet, no writing on the walls, remind them to wash their hands before eating and after they use the bathroom and..."

I had to cut her off, her voice was giving me a headache. "You said long story short 30 seconds ago, wrap it the fu..fudge up." I noticed the boys all walk into the room with mischievous smiles. I crossed my arms and frowned.

"Stephanie these are my children. You need to take this seriously! We are paying you good money to watch them."

I laughed "Your not paying me any money actually. Eddie and I have a deal which he has yet to produce on his end."Eddie raised his hands. "I'm working on it."

I sighed. "Just go, have fun but if your a minute past 11 pm, I'm calling child services and reporting your children abandoned then leaving once they arrive." Slick laughed, Shirley frowned and Eddie winked as he pulled his wife out the door. As soon as I heard the click I looked at the boys who were now gone.

"That can't be good." Slick and I got up to secure all of the doors and saw the boys eating everything in sight, tearing the kitchen apart.

"Holy cow! Slick stop them!"

I grabbed a garbage bag and started filling it with anything that contained sugar. I took everything off the table, in the cabinets, and in the fridge then hid the bag in the laundry room under a blanket. Slick carried all three boys to the living room. I heard him going over ground rules. Perfect. I planned to eat pizza and watch TV all night.

I wiped the messy table down then went back to the living room, the boys were all sticky and covered in different food from the kitchen. I groaned then grabbed some wet towels tossing it to them.

"Clean up so I can order pizza. What do you want?" They all screamed out different toppings. I placed an order for three pies and sat down. Slick was trying to help them decide on a movie when they all started to yell at each other then jumped on one another. Slick was pulling them apart but when one came loose he would join back in the fight again.

"STOP!" Everyone froze then turned to stare at me.

"Whoever doesn't have their butt on this couch in the next minute doesn't get pizza...I'll give you salad for dinner!" All of the boys ran to the couch. I couldn't believe that worked. I doubt that would work with the twins, being Ranger's offspring meant they would like salad I bet.

"Now the movie, nothing rated R, nothing gruesome, violent or scary." I pointed at each kid and asked what they wanted to watch and agreed to all three starting with C_loudy with a Chance of Meatball_s while we ate pizza. The silence didn't last long they kept getting up and getting a game system and a bunch of other things.

Slick finished off the pizza himself and found a hidden soda I missed. "Babysitting isn't that bad. I think I may have assisted my girlfriend once or twice in high school."

I rolled my eyes. "You mean you made out on the couch and did nothing else." Slick gave me a big smile then looked back the the TV.

"Aunt Stephanie! Freddy hasn't eaten today, I'm going to feed him then I want you to meet him afterwards." Ben ran off.

"What kind of pet is Freddy?"

I shrugged my shoulders "Probably a fish, Shirley is allergic to pet dander."

I heard Ben run back behind me then felt something plop next to me on the couch, a massive Boa Constrictor. I screamed then jumped into Slick's arms wrapping my legs around his waist. Slick fell off balance between the floor and an arm chair. I could hear all three boys laughing. Punks! I saw the snake move towards us, I climbed Slick's body like a try to get away, stepping on his manhood in the process. Slick was moaning on the floor and I couldn't see the snake anymore.

"Shot it Slick! Shoot it!"I was bouncing up and down on top of a chair.

The boys started screaming "NO! He's Kevin's class pet, it's our week to have him! Don't kill him!" Slick stood slowly, fixed himself then coughed a few times. I felt awful.

"I'm so sorry! I never meant to.. you know." I head tilted towards his pelvic region. Slick just shook his head and started looking for the snake. My heart was pounding, I felt like I was having a heart attack. I refused to help look for the snake and stood of the chair for almost an hour watching the boys and Slick searching for him. Eventually Slick found him under a curtain as Eddie walked into the front door. The house was completely destroyed by the boys, pizza boxes on the coffee table and toys all over the floor.

Eddie and Shirley gaped at me. I was still on top of my chair. I pointed at them. "You said nothing about a snake! All the worthless stuff you mentioned... Snake should have been the first thing out of that mouth." I jumped off the chair and grabbed my coat then stormed out.

I walked to the SUV with Slick running behind me. We didn't talk in the car, I was in a foul mood. Slick parked us at Rangeman, I still had that weird feeling but I just wanted to go upstairs at this point.

"I'm sorry about your special region. Thanks for today." Slick just nodded as the doors closed to the elevator. I dropped my bag, coat and keys on the floor of the entryway and walked to the freezer for my Ben and Jerry's. I grabbed a spoon then slid down to the floor with my back against the fridge.

I didn't want to be in Trenton right now. I didn't want to be in Rangeman. I wanted to be at my house or in Greece. I felt beaten down and defeated at the moment. Once I finished the carton I felt a little sick, I ate too much. I went to my closet and pulled out one of my old purses that had a hidden compartment, inside I found my fake id's Ethan had made for me that I had hidden.

They had my picture but different names. I traced each name with my finger wondering who these women were and what their life was like compared to mine. I decided it was time I found out. I pulled out my lap top and started running the first name, Honor Newberry. I heard my personal cell ring, I was going to ignore it until I saw Lester's picture. At the last second I decided to answer.

I sighed. "Yo."

"Hey Beautiful I heard you had a rough day... Tell me about it or I'm catching the next flight to Trenton."


	58. Chapter 58

RPOV

Seeing Oxanna drop to her knees topless surprised me in the moment. When I felt her go for my belt I grabbed her wrist twisting it away from me. I was pissed now. I've made my position clear in the past.

"I like it rough Ranger. Trust me I'm worth the ride, nothing's off limits with me." She still had a smile on her face as she licked her lips. Oxanna was beautiful with full breasts and plump lips, another time in my life under different circumstances I may have taken her up on her offer but I was committed to Babe. The one I wanted to marry. Oxanna wasn't Babe, she didn't have those innocent blue eyes or that wild hair I loved to play with. She would never taste as sweet as Steph or moan just from my kiss.

I used my drill sergeant voice. "Get dressed now! Shape up or I'll throw you off this plane mid flight. You want to be a whore, be it on your own time."

Oxanna stood slowly grabbing her shirt. "I can't believe your still hiding behind those rules of yours, I know the score, I don't want a relationship... just a release while on this mission. We should help each other out." I couldn't believe she was still trying. I didn't enjoy hurting women but she was pushing my buttons.

"If you pull this shit again on me or Dom during this mission, I'll ship you back in the storage hole bound and gagged for Frost to interrogate." I'd rather just snap her neck and blame it on the rebels at this point but I needed her a third man on this mission. I didn't want to threaten to kill her, being in a closed space with a threat in the air could cause her to try and kill me first. I could try and replace her but my request isn't a guarantee and I didn't want to be delayed on the ground waiting for a replacement.

Oxanna slammed her blank face into place. "Yes Sir." She spun on her heel and went back to her seat. I gave her a few minutes before I sat back in mine far away from both members. I put my feet up on another chair then closed my eyes. I might be a lot of things but I'm not that man who cheats on his woman. I know Babe would never find out, that wasn't the point. I would know. I could never say wedding vows knowing I betrayed her, I've let her too far into my life to lose her over a worthless fling. She is the mother of my children, if I believed in soul mates she would be it. I relaxed my mind and body thinking of Steph's crystal blue eyes. I wondered if she was sleeping in my shirt right now, snoring softly safe in our bed. Sometimes that was the only thing that helped me get by when I had shitty days.

Tank POV

When Slick informed me Steph was having a bad feeling from the building, I checked the cameras myself. It wasn't that I didn't believe her, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I even looked at the men on duty and didn't see any new employees that would give me pause. I read Slick's end of day report on Steph and saw she was having a rough day. I attributed her spooky feeling to stress and got back to work. I kept thinking about Eve, I called to check in but she was having a busy day too and taking a new night class to expand her knowledge for her patients. The more time I spent with her, the more I wanted to be with her. It was just easy between us, I even told her my real name which I've never done with a woman before. She didn't even laugh. I still couldn't believe we met through a matchmaker, I feel like I have known her for years. I'm seriously considering buying her a ring in the next few months although the timing is rough.

Ranger being in the wind right now wasn't the worst but it wasn't the best. I finished the last handful of Trenton's reviews that Ranger didn't do before his trip to Miami then I tried to organized my calendar with Ranger's client meetings, alphabet agency meetings. I still had to do paperwork, schedules for the men, juggle the long list long of installs to review and approve the new paperwork for the housekeeper. I also had to schedule the testing for our new contract workers Ranger and I had approved before he left. Tomorrow construction started on there house, pulling two men off patrol that would need to be replaced on monitors sooner rather then later. Professionally I was drowning at the moment. Personally Steph and Eve were weighing heavily on my mind. I pushed what I could onto Woody then approved payroll. I heard my phone ring, Miami.

"What."

"Top of the morning to you too Tank. I heard Ranger's in the wind, I read Slick's status report on Steph. Is she ok?"

"I guess Santos. Ella's in charge of checking on her, my plate's full... Steph also got a feeling in the garage and building that she wasn't safe. I ordered Slick to stick to her like glue unless he puts her into the elevator himself up to seven."

"Shit, Why didn't you call me? If their's a bad Apple you should have called. You know how much stock Ranger puts in her gut." I rubbed my face in my hands.

"I can't fight something I can't see Santos. I'm keeping an eye on the interior cameras and told control to monitor Steph in the building. They will alert Slick anytime she leaves the penthouse. Otherwise my hands are tied."

There was a long pause on the line. "Miami is running smooth. I'll leave my number two in charge and assist you with Steph and some of the meetings on the books. I'm going to call her now then get on the next flight."

Santos hung up, I stared at the phone confused. He has never offered to come down here and help unless it was a dire emergency. What the hell happened on that Miami trip? I looked at the time, almost midnight. I decided just to sleep on my couch then wake in a few hours. I alerted control to pick up Santos then went to sleep.

SPOV

I was sleeping when I heard the bedroom door open, I didn't get a tingle, it wasn't Ranger. The clock said 4 am, I'm surprised I awoke at all since I didn't have to pee. I saw a tall shadow but no face.

"Ella?"

"No Beautiful, just me. Go back to sleep." I was still groggy.

"Les, why are you here?"

"Tank needed help and you sounded like you needed a friend." Les sat next to me on the bed and used his knuckles to rub against my cheek. "Sleep. I'm crashing on the couch, talk tomorrow." I felt Les brush my hair as I drifted back to my dream of Ranger and I on a beach.

I woke up before nine smelling pancakes and bacon. I grabbed Ranger's robe, Les cooking at the stove. I could have sworn he was a dream last night. I sat at the breakfast bar, putting my legs on the other chair.

"What are you doing here stranger? I thought you talked me off that ledge last night?"

Les gave me a brilliant smile and winked. He was wearing basketball shorts and a undershirt. He reminded me of Ranger in a small way. "Came to visit my favorite cousin and help Tank, he is a man under siege. Miami was running smooth so I came to take some work off his shoulders. I can oversee operations from here. I got in late this morning so I crashed on the couch, hope you don't mind. I'll move to a safe house later, none of the apartments are open."

I shook my head "Your welcome to stay, you can take the bed. I'm smaller I'll take the couch."

"No, your pregnant, this is your home. I'll crash a few days here and see if you want to kick me out after that. I love Ella's cooking anyway." Les made awesome breakfast's but I had a feeling that was all he knew. It was more then me. Les plated our food then lifted my feet so he could plop into his chair, laying my feet across his lap this time.

"You left a few things out of our conversation last night." I chewed slower. Les raised an eyebrow waiting. "What's up with the fake id on your nightstand? And why didn't you tell me you didn't feel safe in the building?" I took a long drink of my juice. I didn't really have an answer.

"You know I'm never alone anymore unless I'm in this apartment... yesterday I wanted to be alone. I know I agreed to these safety precautions, I know I'm vulnerable pregnant. I like Slick a lot, it's just when I have a bad day being alone is what I need. Then Eddie's kids freaked me out. I can't handle kids like that day after day. Those kids are the reason why I held off getting pregnant for so long. Holding my niece Lisa was the only reason I think I ever wanted a baby, she was calm."

"Well it's too late to change your mind, your already knocked up. From what you told me last night they were bad kids, Ranger was much worse, he'd never let Team Manoso get that bad. Trust me you can take that to the bank. And Ranger would never let a snake into the house no matter the situation... It still doesn't explain the passport. Are you going to run?"

"Not exactly. I was stressed. I pulled out the passport because I didn't feel safe for the first time in this building since the night I broke in because of the Slayer's. I was preparing to run just in case I had to hide from someone at Rangeman." Les looked confused.

"Didn't Rangeman make your id? Why wouldn't you go to Tank, Slick or someone else here to protect you first?"

I didn't look at Les. "I can't explain it but Rangeman didn't make them. I trust Slick but this is his job, he has his own life and Tank is a ball of stress right now with a ton going on in his personal life. I'm not super friendly with any of the guys in this building except Hal and Ramon but even them it's only so far. Cal says hi sometimes and Woody does pleasantries.

I ran background checks on all Rangeman employees but I don't know them personally. They tend to stay away from me because of Ranger... He's the one that taught me how to disappear, I know how to stay safe. I would have alerted Tank or Slick if I had left but I wanted to be prepared. Right now I only feel safe up here."

Les shook his head "You should have called me were friends. When Ranger's away Tank and I are in charge. In the future if you feel this way and you don't trust the men in this building you go to Tank, if your not happy with his decisions then you get Slick to fly or drive you down to me. Ranger would never want you to run unless it was a last resort...

He probably never told you but it kills him when he can't find you. He blocks it out emotionally to focus but he does everything possible to find you. He even held someone at gun point just to look up real estate records at the county office. Once your safe he has to punch a bag for hours to deal with the stress. He trusts us to have your back, you need to trust us too.

Your feeling claustrophobic now but in a few months you have your home, you can be alone and go outside as much as you want. Until that time you can technically go away now if you wanted too. When you need an escape, Rangeman has safe houses all over, you can stay at them and be mostly alone. Some are in warm climates, some cold, mountains, lakes, you choose. You just have to tell me or Tank first, no questions asked." That sounded really amazing right now, I remember Ranger mentioning a cabin in Maine but I needed a mall close by.

"I'd like to go away this minute but I have two open cases right now and some leads to track before the cops figure it out."

Les smiled "I heard you got arrested." He pretended to wipe a fake tear away. "I've never been so proud, your growing up before my eyes." We both broke into laughter. He was such a smart ass. He looked at my feet in his lap.

"These look swollen, you should soak them every night." Les started to lightly massage them, it felt nice.

"What's going on in Miami? Are you seeing anyone special?"

Les wiggled his eyebrows. "Every lady I meet, I treat special. I just haven't found a woman I can stand for more then a week or who will put up with my job. The women in Miami have beautiful bodies but are very self centered... It's hard to break into our circle, trust doesn't come easy. I even received a late Christmas present this year, Rachel has stopped calling Rangeman. I drank a ton of champagne to celebration and did a jig."

I bit my lip. "Has Mace reported anything about their family situation?"

Les narrowed his eyes a little, trying to figure out what I knew. "Julie hasn't said anything but I know Ron and Rachel are in marriage counseling and Ron changed the accounts to limit her spending. I guess he doesn't want her spending all of his money now." I felt better knowing they sought help but I had a bad feeling it wouldn't work unless Rachel grew up a lot. Les and I had an awkward silence.

"So Beautiful, I was thinking we should be two normal people tonight and go to the movies. I want to see a few things out right now. You get the tickets, I'll get the snacks and we can have some fun." I liked the sound of being normal for once. I doubt I would ever get Ranger to a theater in this lifetime.

"Sure you pick. I doubt you want to see 50 Shades...how about that Will Smith flick or a comedy?"

"Deal." Les kissed my forehead. "I'm going to pop in the shower then get to work. I'll be on five if you need me."

I placed our dishes in the dishwasher, the coffee pot still had a decent amount left. I couldn't drink it and I hated waste. I poured the rest into a travel mug for Les. He came out freshly showered smelling of Calvin Klein, it was nice but no Bulgari. Neither of us were very domestic, it was fun to mess with him. I pretended to be a fifties house wife "Have a great day sweetheart!" I handed Les his coffee, he laughed all the way out the door. It was nice not having to sensor myself, Les was like Ranger, I felt safe talking to him.

I showered then started my day. I didn't see any red flags in Kate's background, she kept to herself and called very few people. Most of her conversations were on Facebook but didn't mention any men in her life and she mostly paid for things in cash. I needed to think about my next steps. I messaged Slick I was on the way to the garage.

"Post office please."

I sorted my mail from my two boxes when I saw Carmel's check, I felt sad. I decided to deposit it then hit staples for a ledger to keep track of clients and checks coming in. I should look into some kind of system, I'll have to ask Mary Lou next time.

I don't know what it is about office supply stores, you go for one thing and come out with a new calendar, colorful pens, folders, post its, highlighters and superhero paperclips. I liked my new supplies much more then the ones Ella leaves out for me in the War room. I know it's not her choice, Ranger likes dull and boring but the colors perk up my mood. I grabbed a birthday card for my Dad then drove to my parents house.

The only reason I went over was because my mother goes to the market at this time otherwise I would have mailed my gift. My Dad took a while to answer the door then invited us in.

"Hey I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday." I gave him an awkward hug.

"I told you, you never have to give me another gift, getting rid of that old bat was enough. I love Cuban cigars, thank you." I didn't know what to say, being together was still weird for me.

"Ranger and I got them in Miami."

"How's the Buick running? Your getting regular oil changes right?"

"Sure when the time comes."We sat in the living room.

"How are my grandsons? I have a gift for them." My dad walked around the corner and gave a shopping bag and a larger Christmas bag filled with tissue paper. I saw the baby clothes he sent me a messaged me but I didn't open the gift from my mom from Christmas, I knew it would annoy me.

"So what's new?"

"Not much, I have a new regular fair on Tuesday mornings. Your mother's the same, I've kept tabs on her to make sure she doesn't blab about my grandsons but she is going nuts not talking to you. Maybe you should call her once in a while to check in...What we did wasn't great but she loves you."

I rolled my eyes. "She leaves me constant guilt voice mails, compares me to people she knows and is already telling me what kind of mother I should be, when she isn't nagging me to marry Ranger. I told Val the same thing I'm tell you, I suggest you stay out of it. I assume she isn't in therapy?"

"No."

"Well when she stops belittling me or gets help, I'll return a call. You should remind her if she breaks my secret she will never meet her grandchildren. I refuse to be put into danger because she can't keep her mouth shut."

"Are you going to announce soon? Your starting to show under your coat right now. When your standing it's not too noticeable but sitting I can see your stomach."

"No we won't announce. I'm going to wear layers, carry a wide bag and stay out of the Burg. I plan to visit places out of town to shop. I'm not stupid. I know it's going to come out eventually, I'm just trying to keep it under wraps for as long as I can." My Dad looked uncomfortable at Slick then back at me.

"He treats you well right? I've heard talk about him... I don't want you to move home but if you need a place you can." To my father that was a profound declaration of love, he hated extra people living here.

I smiled. "It's talk. He's a good man, a good father and partner. I'm happy... I gotta go. Ma will be back soon and it's not good for the twins when she raise's my blood pressure. Have a good birthday." I kissed my Dad's cheek awkwardly.

"Bye Pumpkin." I slowly walked to the door, I wanted to ask my Dad a lot of questions... did he want me, does he really think of me as his daughter, why didn't he tell me for years. Then again I wasn't ready for those answers. I would be hurt if they weren't what I wanted to hear. My father and I didn't have long talks, that was the most heartfelt conversation we ever had and it still felt strained. I sat in the driver's seat of my Buick, I asked Slick to open the bag from my mother.

"A cook book, a few pots and pans, some ugly baby clothes and a ugly Christmas sweater for a male."I looked at the sweater, it was red with white prancing reindeer. Ranger would never be caught dead in this and pissed if I gave it to him. My mother really was delusional, it wasn't even his signature black.

"Unless you want it, I'll donate it." Slick just shook his head, even the baby clothes were super old fashioned and ugly. The only thing I would keep was the pots and pans for the new house.

"I ran the serial number on the gun, it belongs to Benedict Asher from Hamilton. I left him a message to call back but I think he's avoiding me. I don't have much else to check out for Kate. I could check missing persons reports for the new victim but it's a large amount of women and a waste of time. It could be any state except NJ."

"What do you know about this Benny guy?"

"Nothing. I didn't get a chance to run him. He may still be at work, I just wanted to drive by and see if his door was unlocked, maybe see if he knew Kate well."

We pulled up to a small brown and white ranch style home. I saw a car in the driveway, my day was starting to look up. Slick and I rung the bell several times then waited. I saw a light through the window, I knew someone was home. Eventually a young blonde woman came to the door, mid twenties with a two year old girl on her hip. Her house felt very warm, I was surprised she was dressed in a long turtle neck and yoga pants.

She smiled at me then saw Slick and tensed. Something was off. I gave Slick a look to back off and he did. Slick seemed just as confused as me, he wasn't even scary looking.

"Mrs. Ascher? My name is Stephanie Plum, this is my friend Slick. I assure you he isn't a danger to you. He would never hurt a woman, he protects me everyday." She seemed to relax a little but was still uncomfortable. "I called your husband, Benny regarding a gun Kate had registered in her possession but he never called back. I was curious why Kate had it?" The woman bit her lip then looked down.

"I don't know." She was lying, she knew all about it. That pit in my stomach grew, I couldn't put my finger on it yet but something was definitely wrong.

I gave her a kind smile to reassure her. "You have a beautiful daughter, she looks just like you. What is your name?"

"Emily."

"Emily...I'm not the police. I'm an investigator, I want to help your friend Kate. I need to know if she mentioned this man?" Emily barely looked at the picture of my suspect and shook her head no. "Was Kate your friend or your husband's?"

She answered in a small voice."She was mine... my husband doesn't know she had the gun. I preferred you didn't tell him. He thinks he lost it." I took a good look at Emily's face, her eyes were so sad and her makeup extra around her eyes.

"Emily you don't know me or my friend but I use to be a bounty hunter. I use to hunt men who liked to push around their wives...did you give Kate the gun to hide from your husband because you were afraid of him?"

Emily didn't look at me. "Please go, he could come home anytime to check on us. I don't want to get into trouble. Please, just leave." She tried to close the door but I stuck my foot in to stop her.

"Emily I can help you. Please. May I come in? Ten minutes, if you don't like what I have to say I will leave." Emily looked around us to the street them hurried us inside. Her home was clean but the furniture was stained and broken. We sat down on the couch while Slick took position at the window.

"What gave me away?"

"Your wearing long clothes, it's hot in here and the yellow concealer by your eye to cover the purple bruising. Does he hit you because he drinks, anger issues or stress?"

Emily looked away."All three. I tried to leave, it got worse. I do my best to keep Anna quiet when he's home but it's hard, she's still so small. That's why I gave Kate the gun last year to hide. She didn't know the situation, I told someone once and Benny almost beat him to death. I stayed away from my friends so they wouldn't get hurt, not that Benny lets me have a lot of friends anyway. He even takes the keys to the car when he isn't here, unless I need to go to the store then he gives me a little money and calls to check in a lot." I felt the anger boil inside of me. He's keeping her trapped here.

"I don't know what you can do to help me Stephanie... I've been to the women's shelter, it isn't a great place especially for a kid and a restraining order is just a piece a paper. Men walk right through them everyday. I've thought about leaving more times then I can count, we would end up on the streets. I don't have anyone I can go to anymore and my family wouldn't take us in or help. I went to the police once, the order of protection for me doesn't cover Anna unless I can prove he hurts her too. I can't give him visitation, he could do anything with her alone." Emily hugged her daughter tighter.

I took a deep breath "You don't know me, you have no reason to trust me but go pack a bag for you and your daughter and I will help you start over completely out of NJ. Id, money, everything but you need to leave most of your stuff behind and everyone you know. You can never call or comeback otherwise Benny will find you. If you want freedom it's yours. Write a note your leaving him and why, he can't report you missing or kidnapped. I'll make sure the police get a copy anonymously. My guess is they won't look too hard to find you if they know the situation before Benny tells his story."

Emily was crying. "Why?"

We didn't have time for this. "It's a long story, if you want out, we need to go now." Emily passed me Anna and grabbed a garbage bag to put stuff in. Anna started playing with my hair, I bounced her on my knee.

Slick looked uneasy. "What's the plan Steph?"

"I'm going to help her disappear... I need to cash in that favor you owe me. Call Hector or someone and get her and the kid new names. If he has an issue tell him to call Les and say it's an emergency for me and I'll explain later. I'll reimburse Rangeman for his time and supplies." Slick took out his phone and made the call. After 15 minutes Emily ran back into the room and wrote a short note which I scanned. Anna needed a car seat so Slick broke into Emily's car. Before we left we scanned everything for trackers. Slick's idea which was smart, Benny hid two, one in Emily's purse and the other on Anna's car seat. Slick got into the driver's seat and drove us away.

"We need to change her appearance, I need to hit the bank and get them some supplies. When will the id's be ready?"

"Hector needs two hours and pictures once you change their looks, he had a few on standby for emergencies."

I nodded. I stopped at the bank first and pulled out a few thousand. I asked Emily for her and Anna's size then ran inside Target pulling clothes for both, a suitcase that rolls, snacks, drinks, a money pack to go around her stomach, some basic bathroom essentials, a burner phone, two travel blankets and hair dye for both of them. I sat in the back seat while Emily helped me pack the suitcase with her items. I asked Slick to get us to a hotel room now.

"I'll never be able to repay you both. Thank you." I just nodded. I didn't know what else to say. I was sort of allowing her to kidnap her own kid but she was in a bad situation. I couldn't leave her behind. Every time Emily moved in her seat I saw pain in her eyes. He really hurt her bad. I kept telling myself this was the best thing for them. Slick and I checked into a room then had Emily change her and Anna's hair to a dark brown so we could get the picture. I sat her down and explained the rules.

"Your not Emily and Anna anymore, they are gone. I need anything id's or pictures from your old life then you need to decide where you want to go together. Larger cities are safer then smaller towns, small towns notice new people and ask questions. You aren't a great liar, no offense."

"I've always wanted to live in Texas so Houston for now."

I smiled "Great choice." I passed her the stomach pouch with the money and took a few bills and placed them in her wallet. "Don't travel with a lot on money in your purse if it gets stolen your screwed. This is a stun gun and mace. I want you to use it to defend yourself while traveling, keep it on your body everyday to protect yourself. Your getting away right now but if you tell people the truth or contact anyone from your old life, Benny could find you." I showed her how to use both weapons. She seemed nervous. I felt like it was yesterday when Ranger taught me too.

"My card if you run into trouble, I'm writing my personal cell as well. You need to remember the old you doesn't exist... it seems crazy but you and your daughter have a new lease on life, make it count. I suggest you get self defense lessons when you settle, it seems crazy but it will help your confidence. You should also have a go bag ready just in case trouble finds you. Your id's will be here soon then I'm going to get you on a bus. The station has a lot less cameras then an airport. Once you get a good distance away, find a reliable used car and drive to your destination or use the bus system to save money. Right now I'm trying to get you out of NJ as fast as possible before Benny realizes your gone." Emily was holding Anna close to her chest. "Any questions?"

"Why are you doing this? You just met me?"

I didn't have a good answer for her. "I had a feeling about you. I'm going with my gut. I'm in a position to help and you don't deserve this... I've never been in an abusive relationship but I know what it's like to be scared and helpless. I know what it's like to be hit by a man who is sick, angry and afraid. You and your daughter deserve to be safe. People have helped me in my life, I want to help you in yours."

"What did you do when these men hit you?" I had to think back... Ramirez was the first to come to mind out of the many. I shivered.

"The first time a man hit me, I froze. I was in a gym surrounded by men who could have helped me and didn't. When I was attacked, I had a gun in my purse but was afraid to use it... he ripped my shirt open so I hit him with my purse." Emily smiled.

"It wasn't my finest moment. I tried to run away but I fell, he got on top of me. I was lucky that a friend of mine made a distraction and I got away. I learned my lesson that day. The next few times a man hit me because of my job, I hit back. I decided if I was going to die, I was going down fighting."

"How did you move on?" Anna fell asleep against her chest. She really was a cute kid.

"I don't know... everyone is different. I usually go into denial, cry then sleep. You just need to find a reason to get out of bed the next day and move past it. Your daughter could be your reason. If your scared to fight, maybe you should get a gun, practice and learn how to use it for protection..."

We heard a knock at the door. Slick pulled his gun to check the hole. He opened to Hal and took the envelope from him. I looked at all the paper work, it looked real.

"Birth certificates, driver's license, social security cards. Your new name is Elisa. It's time to go." We drove another hour to a bus station, I purchased two one way tickets out of town and bought them an umbrella just in case it rained.

Emily turned to Slick. "Thank you." He just nodded, he was careful not to touch or get too close. Emily wrapped her arms around me in a hug. "Thank you Stephanie. I'll never be able to thank you enough, you saved us." I felt the tears building behind my eyes. With one last squeeze, Emily and Anna got onto the bus. I finger waived one last goodbye as I watched them move towards the open road.

Slick put him arm around my waist pulling me close."You know, it would have been easier just to shoot Benny... you seemed on a roll, I didn't want to interrupt." I elbowed Slick in the stomach lightly.


	59. Chapter 59

Tank POV

Santos and I were working in my office coming up with a plan and quote for our meeting today with the FBI regarding adoption scams across the state. We didn't receive any specific details but were informed many couples were swindled, shelling out thousands and not receiving the babies they were promised supposedly from different countries like Russia.

According to victim's the con artists used several different schemes. One was contacting couples by phone and email saying they represented a fake domestic adoption agency and even introduced these couples to fake birth mothers to sell the con then disappeared once they received the money. Most of these birth mother's were never pregnant but a handful were when certain couples asked to go to doctor's appointments first to see the baby was real and ok, before they gave their money.

Another scam this group was running was asking for administrative fees and extra financial help to assist the birth mother's with expenses. Fifty four couples have been defrauded so far, almost $500,000 in stolen money. The Feds have been working the case for a while and sometimes contact us for help. Our deal was simple. We get a good chunk of money to do the work and they get the credit. Rangeman likes to keep a low profile to operate under the radar. Les was reading the small file we were provided with his feet on my desk. I stood up to push them off.

Les frowned. "Man Tank. I feel bad for these families. Some quit their jobs expecting a kid, decorated nurseries, moved to new homes, lost a ton in savings for nothing, expect a fake picture. Only a handful got a few visits from a baby but the parents couldn't keep them until the paper work was finalized, which never happened...I think the best way to approach this is a double con. We get a fake couple and send Steph in undercover as a mother who needs to earn extra money for her baby, she cons our fake couple to prove herself, then gathers more evidence to shut them done."

I just shook my head no. "Even wired with a tracker, Ranger would never let her go undercover in an operation in her condition. He would never take that chance." Les narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "I know that look, don't even think about asking Steph behind my back. Ranger would tell you no, he isn't here so I'm telling you no. They aren't just Steph's kids, they are his too, he has a right to keep them safe. Ranger may not have a big say in her cases but he does in Rangeman jobs we offer."

"He isn't here right now, so you don't know for sure. Every contingency will be taken care of, I would never put Steph at risk. I haven't seen one report in this stack that said any of the women who were fake pregnant or really pregnant got hurt. We could find the location out beforehand then wire the whole place with sound and video and place a team near the door on stand by. Two birds one stone. All I'm asking is you keep an open mind, I bet she would say yes. I saw her fight in Miami, use her gun, she isn't helpless."

"Mention your plan in the proposal but leave Steph's name out completely and increase the price of the quote just in case we need to use her. Steph will need a lot of contingency plans and men in place if she does this and they will foot the bill. I'm still stating firmly this is a bad idea and I don't want to use her.

And you better watch yourself, if Ranger comes home unexpectedly and finds you in his home, he will shoot first and ask questions later. Your safer staying with me or a safe house."

Santos just shook his head. "I can't leave her alone unprotected. She has a feeling, I may not understand it but I trust her. Both of us off premises makes her vulnerable at night, if someone is hunting her from inside. I know seven is secure, I don't want to take that chance in case something happens. I'm sleeping on the couch, not in his bed. He will just have to deal if he comes home early."

I gave Santos a long, hard look. "That's his woman, don't get any funny ideas at night. You keep your dick to yourself. Family or not, Ranger will kill you if you touch her." I pointed at him. "I know your style, I saw you making googly eyes at her when she was in the elevator earlier on camera."

Santos slammed his blank face down and looked pissed. "We're friend's and now family. I like her a lot and don't want to see her hurt. I would never overstep on his territory. I know that's Ranger's woman, she's pregnant Tank, I'm not blind. I like spending time with her... I don't have to pretend around her...she's mostly in the know about all of us and Rangeman. Do you know how rare that is these days? She needs someone to trust. She told me she trusts less then a handful of our men in this building, that isn't good. Between you and me, Steph told me she was thinking of running last night because she doesn't feel safe here anymore." I groaned. That's all I would need to make my week worse.

"Shit. She can't run... I need to lock her down now." I picked up my phone to call Slick.

Santos clenched his teeth. "Don't-you-dare. This is the exact reason Steph doesn't come to you. She is not a prisoner. You lock her down, she will run. I doubt she would ever step foot in this building again. I promised her a safe house of her choice anytime she needs to get away, no questions asked. You will accommodate that or I will take over her security measures from this moment on. Your so distracted in your personal life your not thinking clearly about her needs. She isn't a solider, she doesn't take blind orders." My blood was starting to boil.

"What is your suggestion then? Move her to the West Trenton safe house near Shorty's?"

Santos looked exasperated. "No. Keep her in house, Slick stays will her during the day, I take over nights. She doesn't know I'm her guard, she thinks I'm just crashing on her couch. If she is in danger, I want to watch everyone here, see who is taking an interest in her then set a trap to catch them. Having her offsite doesn't solve this issue."

"We don't know if an issue exists. She got a feeling. Right now I got one too, it's gas."

Santos uncrossed his arms and slammed his fist onto my desk. "I forgot how much of an asshole you can be, I remember now why I choose Miami." So you could screw every woman in a 50 mile radius and not bitch about the snow anymore. I doubt I factored much into his decision.

"I'll take the FBI meeting alone, you worry about the client meetings. I think it's best we work separately before this leads to the mat's." Santos stormed out.

I wasn't worried about our spat, we had fights like this all the time when we started Rangeman. Ranger has always been our tiebreaker, he doesn't factor in loyalty. Ranger is a great strategist, he only picks what would be best for the company in the long run.

It's what makes him a great CEO and leader of our company. It's much easier now with the three of us, when Bobby was part of the company he normally sided with Santos just because they were good friends, causing deadlocks. Sometimes we would handle it with words, other times fists.

I still didn't feel comfortable with Santos being so close to Steph or sleeping upstairs with her, it was inviting disaster. I really wanted to hear Eve's voice right now to brighten my day but I knew she had a busy schedule with multiple patients. Maybe I should surprise her with dinner one night.

I shook the thought away, everyone keeps saying I'm distracted. I know I am.

I've never had these feelings before, I'm still trying to process it. Ranger was no better at one time but he hid it well. I mostly noticed the change in the gym, he would spend hours running, working out his feelings for Steph then hit a bag when she would spend nights with Morelli over him. It was his own damn fault.

This is why I didn't want anyone to know about Eve in the first place, I didn't need the grief I was currently getting. I checked Steph's trackers, she was still in Hamilton. For the first time in a long time, I was counting the days till Ranger returned to take the reins back so I could get myself straight again.

SPOV

Slick and I decided to break back into Kate's place and steal Benny's gun to keep the cops off Emily's scent. I didn't know what to do with it, Slick said he would take care of it. Tomorrow I would have to hit the clean room and print out Emily's note to mail to the police.

I know Slick wanted to shot Benny but that wasn't my style. I know Slick thinks I'm soft but I don't like hurting people, even bad people. It makes me no better then them. Shooting someone in self defense is the only reason I carry my gun, not to be a vigilantly.

I'm also pregnant, I don't need a confrontation with an abusive husband who knows I helped his wife get away from him. I already have a two people out to get me, I didn't need a third.

I know it wasn't legal what I did for Emily, in my mind I rationalized it. As long as I could look myself in the mirror everyday, I would accept the good with the bad. No one was perfect, not even my sister Saint Valerie.

I couldn't do much more for Kate, I investigated every angle. I was at a stall on this case, I had no new threats and I was waiting on Eddie to feed me information.

"I need to switch my focus, get a move on with Trent's case. I need to clean this off my plate too. I don't like having a debt over my head. I also need to talk Connie about a date with the Medical Examiner, I doubt Lula's his type."

Slick shook his head. "If you need him in the future your better off finding someone else on the street then those two, no offense but both are bad dates. One has family connections and the other has a rotten attitude when she isn't busting out of her tight clothes." Slick had a point, I needed a nice single girl who wasn't weird or crazy... no one came to mind.

I started looking at the background check of the breeder that stopped selling pugs to Trent. I haven't ran Trent's enemies yet but it was my new focus after I spoke with Babette Toliver. I knew where Kimi Milton worked, I expected to pay her a visit today too.

According to Babette Toliver's background she breed award winning pugs as well as normal ones. She only sold to select people and has a waiting list according to her website. She made a decent living and her husband was oversea's currently in Japan, working for a software company. No children.

"What did you find out about the IP addresses for the bad reviews?"

"They all came from a public library in Ewing. I made a call earlier to pick up the cd's today." I tried to raise one eyebrow in question but both went up instead.

Slick just smiled. I'm sure he flirted, probably offered the woman a coffee date for her help. He was a great guy and partner but I didn't see him settling down anytime soon, like Les he was looking for his perfect match and wouldn't waste time dating a lot of let downs. I respected that in a way, I wasted a lot of time with Morelli.

"Under no circumstances should you let me go home with a puppy, it's too soon after Rex and Ranger would kill me. He told me not to have a puppy in Rangeman until we move." Slick just smiled and nodded. We parked at a nice blue colonial with a big backyard, fenced in, with several dog houses. We walked to the door and knocked.

An older woman wearing a yellow apron with black hair came to the door, she had two adorable pug babies in her hands."May I help you?"

I felt my heart strings tugging in my chest. I just wanted to grab the puppies from her and run away with them. "Yes, My name is Stephanie Plum. I called you a few times regarding Trent's obedience school? I'm investigating why you no longer supply him with these adorable puppies." I used my finger to rub one of the puppies head's.

"It's not against the law. I can sell my dogs to anyone I want." Babette tried to close the door but I stuck my boot in the way.

"I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder. I'm just curious." I was reading her body language, she didn't trust me and she didn't want to give me her reasons. Before she could speak again I decided to keep her talking and guess.

"If it was Kimi Milton, she was fired for stealing money." Babette was still thinking, she looked me up and down one more time then nodded.

"Come inside, I'm in the middle of feeding time." Slick and I walked in, another puppy ran into my legs, I picked him up, hugging him to my chest. He kissed my nose with his little pink tongue. I wanted to name him Coconut. I don't know why, it just fit him. I sat on the couch holding him in my arms. He was so soft, warm and made little snorting noses. Another two dogs were jumping at Slick's feet so he grabbed them, placing them on the couch with us.

Babette was in the kitchen filling bowls and water dishes. She gave each dog love and attention, the puppies were like her children.

"I liked Kimi a lot. Her position was to care for the puppies, feedings, baths, cleaning, she took real good care of my little ones. I felt good knowing she was looking out for them. I know what she was accused of, I don't believe she did it... That one in your arms has really taken to you, he's for sale. I can make you a good deal."

Before I could respond Slick told her no. I just hugged the little guy closer to me. It was nice to cuddle, my heart didn't hurt so much with him in my arms. Slick nudged me to continue. "Umm is their any other reason your not selling to Trent other then Kimi?"

"Well I heard about some reviews online, they didn't sound good. I didn't want to take any chances."

I looked Babette in her eyes so she could see the truth in my words. "We traced those reviews they were made by one person in the same location... I know Trent, he treats his dogs very well when I worked with him recently. He doesn't seem like a man to tolerate animal cruelty. I didn't see any abuse, I would have never taken him on as a client if I had. He has a clean record, does a lot for the community in volunteering and donating trained dogs to different organizations. He's a good person."

"I don't know. I technically don't need to sell to Trent, pugs are a very popular breed. When I made that agreement with him years ago I wasn't selling as many puppies as I am today."

I understood her position, it was none of my business but I tried to help Trent anyway, he did spend all day with me in the cold. "Maybe you could make a new deal with Trent... random spot checks on the puppies you supply... if you ever see anything cruel or abusive, you take them back immediately. That way you have piece of mind and he has the breed. Or come up with a new compromise together."

"I'll consider it, I can't make any promises." I nodded. I thanked Babette for her time, I was about to leave when Slick stopped me. His eyes dropped to my chest, I forgot I was holding the sleeping puppy! I held him tighter then pouted.

"The puppy Steph, put him down." I gave Slick a glare, kissed the puppy one last time then placed him lightly on the floor. I said goodbye again then got back into the car.

"The cuteness in that room was unbearable. I could never sell puppies."

Slick started laughing deeply. "We need to work on your will power." I smiled. Ranger use to tell me the same thing when it came to my eating habits.

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

I looked at him confused. "Sure, I might not answer."

"Why is it so hard for you to stand up for yourself when it comes to your family and Morelli but you fight for other people with great passion?"

I didn't have an answer for that. I was still working on myself everyday. Last year I was weak, a lot of people walked all over me and I let them. Being away with Ranger gave me a new perspective, it made me stronger.

Learning new skills improved my confidence. Maybe it was because I was pushed down so much and kept silent for so long that I couldn't watch other people suffer like I did, when I'm in a position to help. It was something to think about.

Slick didn't ask me again, I was thankful. I knew from a young age life wasn't a fairy tale, people hurt people everyday, sometimes for no reason. I never dreamed of being Cinderella, when I lose a shoe, I'm either drunk or running from a psycho.

"Let's go squeeze Kimi and see what she says at _Cluck in the Bucket._ I could use a chicken sandwich right now too."

Slick and I made our way inside, I noticed Kimi taking orders so I got in line. I wanted the whole left side of the menu but it wasn't worth looking like a sumo wrestler. Instead I ordered a Clucky sandwich with waffle fries. I turned on my phone to record my conversation with Kimi, it wasn't usable in court but I wanted Trent to hear her words just in case she confessed.

"Welcome to _Cluck in the Bucket_ would you like to try our new Strawberry shake?" That sounded yummy, I ordered two and our food. Once I paid I decided now was as good of a time as any to question her.

"Kimi did you use the Ewing library to write bad reviews about Trent and his partner?" Kimi looked confused.

"No." Damn. I believed her.

"Did you speak to any breeder's and tell them bad things about Trent?"

She put her hands on her hips annoyed "No."

"Do you know who would want to do something like that?"

"No." Ugh. She was almost as bad as Tank with one word responses.

"Did you steal that money from Trent's petty cash box?" Kimi lowered her eyes then looked around.

"I was just borrowing it for a day, I intended to put it back the next afternoon when I got paid. I needed to pay for a class or I would have been dropped. I knew their was a waiting list, I couldn't afford to lose that spot."

I shook my head and started slurping my shake. "You should have just asked, I'm sure they would have helped you or given you your check a day early."

Kimi just shook her head and crossed her arms. "Trent's partner, Elliot Angelo is a stickler for rules and order. I gave him a lot of attitude because he thinks he knows best about everything in this world. I actually enjoyed the job, he was just annoying pest who loved micromanaging." Our food was placed on the tray.

"Is their anything I should know? Any enemies they have?"

She rolled her eyes at me."Your guess is better then mine." Now I know why people sometimes find my eye roll annoying.

I sat at the table and ate with Slick. I checked movie times, I decided the 8:30 showing of _Focus _would be good and purchased our tickets online._ W_ill Smith has always been a favorite of mine and I didn't want anything too heavy. My life was already scary enough.

"Let's get the tapes from the library then head back to Rangeman." Slick and I were in and out of the library in under five minutes, I was too tired to mess around anymore today. I needed to put my feet up really bad. I may even buy some flats soon, my feet were killing me!

As soon as we stepped into the Rangeman garage, I felt that feeling again like I wasn't safe. Slick knew by my expression but didn't see anything. Once we got off the elevator I kept looking at everyone on the floor, no one stood out to me or gave me a vibe.

Slick and I each took a few video cds, checking the corresponding date and times to the websites. I saw a few different people on the terminals. Slick brought up his feed, I noticed the same man each time. I paused each video then printed the pictures with the date and time for Trent to have proof.

I really needed a nap so Slick and I divided Trent and Elliot's list of enemies to try and match the picture. No luck. I groaned very loudly. I could literally feel the sheets on my skin calling to me. I sighed. For once I wanted it to be just like the movies and get a break just this once. I emailed the photo to Trent then called him. I told him everything I knew and asked him to id the picture.

"Son of a bitch, that's my cousin Daren. I can't believe that loser is trying to ruin my business... he is lazy. I refused to just hand him a job, he had an attitude but didn't say anything else. I'd like you to drop off the evidence to me tomorrow, you can do the tour of my facility then and pick your dog for us to start advanced training."

I wanted that too. "My home won't be ready for a few months, I can't house him yet."

"I can until your ready and you can do his lessons with me. The sooner he starts training the better, that way once your place is finished we can do home training immediately and be done." I bit my lip. Ranger said he wanted to check the place out first, I bet he wanted to pick the dog too. Who knows when Ranger will be back.

"Ok tomorrow." We agreed to a morning appointment then hung up. Slick got me safely into the elevator up to the penthouse so I could nap for an hour. My shoulders felt lighter with two finished cases. Now I could focus on the killer or take some time away to regroup. I messaged Les.

_Hey Hotcakes, dinner tonight before movie?_

_Open me a bottle of beer, up in an hour._

I called Ella and ordered dinner for two then set my alarm and closed my eyes. My nap was too short but I pulled myself out of bed and set the dining room table. I went to the fridge and kept opening it looking for something good to snack on.

"Honey I'm homeeeee." Les closed the door then placed his fists on his hips in a superhero pose... Never a dull moment with him.

I decided to feed his ego a little. "What's your super power?"

He smirked. "Common sense, you'd be surprised how rare that was for people today." I giggled.

"Sit down before your head get's too big and you fall over." We both sat and talked about our day, I asked him to help me pick out Higgins tomorrow and he told me about Rangeman's new contract with the FBI. He didn't go into details but it sounded like a lot of research.

"Rough day Les? You seem a little off?"

Les shrugged his shoulders "A lot of work. I had a disagreement with Tank too, nothing new. I've been looking forward to our movie date all day though." Ella delivered a small salad, spaghetti with meat sauce and a pineapple upside down cake. I started with the cake first.

Les had a small smile playing on his lips while he twirled his pasta on his fork. "Dessert first?"

"Ya didn't you know desserts spelled backwards is stressed. I eat when I'm stressed therefore I need my cake first. Don't be jealous, I saved you a piece, just one." Les tried to take the whole cake from me but I ran away with it. Eventually it became a tug of war, we got more cake on each other then in our mouths.

Les and I changed into some t-shirts and jeans then rode down to the garage. When Les beeped Ranger's Spyder unlocked, I shook my head no vehemently.

"Your insane! He loves this car, he won't let just anyone drive it, only him. With my luck it wont make it back, he will be pissed. Any car but this one. Please!" Les pouted, it was cute. He looked like a little kid who lost his favorite toy then got a mischievous smile.

"Dad's away the mice can play... What's that song? Fun Fun Fun till Daddy takes the T bird away. He has insurance hop in." Les started the car and played with a bunch of buttons. I crossed my arms, tapping my foot thinking it over. What the Hell. I gingerly got into the passenger seat. He was a horrible influence.

Les had a Cheshire cat smile. "You little rebel. I like you even more now." Before I could respond he burned rubber out of the garage. I held onto my seat belt for dear life and kept my eyes closed. AMC Hamilton was much closer but Quaker Bridge mall was more private. I just wanted a normal evening with my friend.

"Beautiful I haven't went with a girl to the movies since college. My signature move in middle school was the yawn then drop, where a guy raises his arms then slips it around the girl." I looked at him confused. He was a good looking guy I didn't think he needed those tricks. "My looks came a few months later then all I had to do was wink." He gave me a big smile and winked. I could see how that would work on a lot of girls.

I had to think, "The last time I went to the movies it was to pick up a skip. Lula and I saw some action flick, I picked him up our way out, luckily he was in worse shape then me." Les parked Ranger's car far away from everyone else then opened my door.

He slipped his arm through mine to escort me. I decided to mess with him, I noticed his wallet in his back pocket. I leaned in to point at a store window then used my pointer finger and middle finger like tweezers to remove his wallet, placing it in my jacket pocket. I picked up our reserved tickets then went to the concession stand.

"Large popcorn to share, blue Slurpee and some gummy bears." Les ordered nachos and a coke. I tried to keep a blank face as he went for his wallet but I was struggling. He kept patting all his pockets searching for it panicked.

I gave him a big smile. "I got it." I pulled out his wallet and handed the woman some cash. Les gaped for a moment then laughed.

He whispered into my ear. "You little con artist, I can't believe you pick pocketed me. I didn't even feel it! That's hot." Les grabbed his wallet, checking his id's and credit cards. I rolled my eyes. Slick would have been very proud.

"Let me guess, last row, end seats near the aisle, backs to the wall."

Les took a handful of my popcorn and started walking the steps in the theater. "Got it in one Beautiful."

Les and I shared all of our food together. We placed our feet on the seats in front of us and sprawled out. He was very alert checking every person who entered the theater but acting like his normal joking self. We linked arms again to share the arm rest and played the trivia game together during the previews.

When the trailers played we whispered to each other what looked good and what looked stupid. When we got a few dirty looks we switched to a thumbs up and down. He was really digging the actress on screen Margot Robbie, anytime their was a sexy love scene, Les would joke and try to cover my innocent eyes.

I was full pretty fast but he was a bottomless pit, anything I didn't eat or drink he finished. When the movie ended we talked about it a little. Normally Ranger wouldn't tell me if he liked a movie or not, he just didn't care. It was nice to hear Les's opinion then watch his reenactment of certain parts, making me almost pee myself from laughing so hard. We both liked the movie but didn't love it, neither of us really felt chemistry between the two main characters.

I looked up to the sky wondering what Ranger was doing at this very moment, was he somewhere warm? Was he safe?

I paused at the car door. I really didn't want to go back to Rangeman but I was really tired. I rested my eyes as Les played 50 Cent on the drive back. His rapping wasn't the worst I heard but he he more attitude then skill. My body was barely functioning by the time he parked. He pulled me out of my seat and into the elevator.

I let him use the bathroom first to get ready for bed then I quickly changed into Ranger's shirt and boxer's, slipping between the soft cool sheets. I didn't think I was asleep very long when I heard the fire alarm going off in the apartment.

What the hell? I tried to hide my head under the pillow. Les removed it a minute later. I groaned and tried to use my arm to hide my head.

"Steph get up. I'm not sure if it's a false alarm yet. Control is checking it out..." I opened my eyes and looked at him, I tried to get out of bed.

"Whoa your hair looks like a troll doll's, I wouldn't be surprised if you had that jewel in your belly button right now too." My mouth gaped open. I tried to push it down but I honestly didn't care, I just wanted to sleep.

"I don't see smoke up here?" Les had his phone between his shoulder and neck.

"We need to evacuate right now Steph, a fire broke out in the break room but different alarms have been triggered on multiple floors... control see's the smoke on the camera's but isn't sure a fire in the cause yet." My gut told me not to go.


	60. Chapter 60

SPOV

I was annoyed. "I don't see smoke up here?" Les had his phone between his shoulder and neck.

"We need to evacuate Steph, a fire broke out in the break room but different alarms have been triggered on multiple floors... control see's the smoke on the camera's but isn't sure it's a fire yet." My gut told me not to go.

"No Les I'm not leaving." Les looked annoyed then pursed his lips slightly like he was thinking. I crossed my arms and glared. "If you need to go, go." I picked up my gun and ran for my work bag, grabbing weapons. I strapped my baton holster to my arm but couldn't find the rest. I smacked my forehead, I gave it to Emily.

Les was dressing in the living room in full swat gear, slipping different weapons on his body and belt. I saw his eyes soften trying to reason with me. "I know what you gut is telling you, mine is telling me to leave, we are sitting duck in this spot with only one way out. If it's a fire, it spreads were dead. If it's an interior attack then we should still move."

"Do I want to be burned alive, no. Do I think this is a trap, yes!" I tried thinking how to reason with Les into holding our position... What would Ranger do? "Les, Ranger's computer, it's like a mini control room. Check the feed then decide." Les sighed, switched his cell to his blue tooth listening to the control room chatter. I sat down and logged on, Les used his passwords to see the interior cameras.

"The stairs look clear, halls look clear, I see white smoke coming from almost every floor's bathroom, the locker room, gym and garage. The fire is real on five, Manny is putting it out now with an extinguisher and mask."

I frowned."Why hasn't the fire department been called?"

Les looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. "Because we don't need them. Our men are trained for these things better then the local departments. Trust me, Ranger trains us for almost every emergency and thanks to you a few new ones." Les was laughing. I punched him in his arm. It felt like I hit The Terminator. Freaking muscles. I shook out my wrist in pain.

"The smoke is coming from all the places we don't have cameras except the gym and break room." We watched Rangeman employees dispatch from there apartments with headsets, gas masks and assault rifles. I saw Tank's tracker moving fast from his home onto the streets of Trenton. Ella and Luis were in their robes, running down the stairwell trying to go to the garage then moved towards the lobby exit.

"I'm not moving. I've seen enough fires to know what smoke should look like." I pointed to the screen." It's too white. The kitchen fire is black and billowing, that is real. It's a setup."

"We are still sitting ducks Beautiful. Listen to me. The security on this level is good but not impossible to break through with the right team and time. During a fire alarm the elevators automatically lock down, stairs are the only option this high up. If a team works on that door long enough we have no way out. It's better we move now and get you out of the building into a car." Les kept checking camera angles, "there are three emergency exits on floors lower then six. I need to take you down alone, Slick's tracker is across town right now, I don't trust anyone else with you except Tank."

"You will have to kill me then drag my lifeless body out of here. I am not moving." I grabbed the arms of my chair and locked my feet around the legs.

Les was turning red, I knew he wanted to yell then rip me from the chair. He took several deep breaths then used his fingers to rub his eyes."Fine. At least the elevators are on lock down, I'll be able to see an attack easier, control can't override once an alarm is triggered, only the core team can disengage the alarms. The front door of the stairwell and the penthouse door are reinforced. In an alarm you can't get in even with a fob, people can leave the floor but not enter. We will stay in our position for now, if I feel we need to leave we leave. No fighting no questions."

"Fine but I don't understand. It's not like Ranger to have only one exit in an emergency. Where's the hidden Chamber of Secrets in this apartment?"

Les gave me a big smile."He doesn't need one. That rope and harness in the office closet let's him repel off the roof then sneak in from a different entrance in an emergency. For obvious reasons I can't strap you in right now or I'd already toss you off the roof." I was horrified Les would have done that to me.

Then I pictured Ranger doing it. "Yup that's Ranger's style. I bet he even thinks that sort of thing is fun." Les gave me a big belly laugh.

"The things I am going to show you after you deliver."

I bit my lip, now wasn't the time for this debate. I trusted Les almost as much as Ranger but he wasn't Ranger. If Ranger said I had to leave I would have. Les enlarged one camera angle to the right corner of the screen to keep an eye on the stairwell door. Control was still sitting watching the camera's on the accounts, while the man on the interior camera's was directing the men on the headsets checking out the smoke. Control looked cool, composed like nothing was going on 20 feet behind them. They were drinking coffee while gas masks sat next to their keyboards.

I watched with wide eyes, tapping my foot nervously."You guys are like machines, I would freak out... They look bored."

"This is a minor annoyance, Ranger has drills for every attack, we run them four times a year. I'm surprised you haven't been involved in one. It's like hell week but it makes it easy for us to evacuate the building just in case another moron decides to hide a canister up his keyster like Gardi, which reminds me..." Les looked at me in the eyes like he was going to tell me something serious. "If you have a daughter, you should teach her when it comes to her virginity, her poop hole isn't a loop hole." I snorted, covering my mouth. I couldn't believe he was having this conversation with me! This was an emergency and he was cracking jokes.

Les wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Just trying to lower your blood pressure, I can't have you passing out on me, on top of all this." We heard control over the radio's confirming smoke bomb's.

"Lock down the building. All available men not on control, report to the lobby for a building search led by Tank." I saw Tank was pulling up to the door now.

"Beautiful I need more fire power just in case this turns ugly. Where is Ranger's gun safe?" I ran to the closet in the bedroom, opening a cabinet that looked like it housed shoes. Les tried his finger on the scanner with his code but it denied him.

He started cursing in Spanish."Seriously cuz, I have you on all my safe's." He sighed then grabbed my finger placing it on the scanner waiting for me to enter the code.

My eyes widened "I don't know the code! He never told me!" Les looked confused.

"If he didn't blatantly tell you then you already know it... It's four digits. Try." I tried my birthday, last four digits of my social, last four digits of my Rangeman id, both last four digits of my phone number. I was getting frustrated. I covered one of my hands over my eyes and groaned.

He had a safe in Greece, he told me the code...for the life of me I can't remember it, I never used it. Les was going through Ranger's work belts pulling off extra tools for himself. He tried putting on my Kevlar vest but it was too tight.

Les sighed in frustration, removed it, looking for Ranger's vest instead. I chewed on my lip, tapping the safe with my fingers. I heard Slick voice in my head telling me to slow down, breath, clear my head. This was Ranger, if he made me a code it would be simple for me to remember. I touched my necklace. Babe.

I typed in the corresponding numbers and it opened. "Are you freaking kidding me, I'm an idiot." Les started to laugh. The safe was packed with knives, guns and explosives. Les grabbed an assault rifle with a few clips. He started looking like Rambo, I almost offered him a scarf to tie around his head.

Les stopped to listen to his blue tooth. "Tank's in the building clearing each floor with a team... It's going to take a while, he needs to check for more devices and trip wires. Let's move back to the office and watch." We took our chairs again, I tried to pull up my knees to my chest but my stomach was in the way. Les grabbed my feet placing them on his lap. I felt weary and tired, the babies were sucking all my energy at this moment, the only way I even got out of bed was from a little adrenaline. I stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"I need juice. I'm not feeling well. I don't know why people pull this crap in the middle of the night, sleep should be more important."

"Not everyone was blessed with your priorities, night usually means people are unprepared. Sit down, your shaky, I'll get the juice." I continued to watch the camera's then I heard furniture being moved around the apartment.

"What are you doing out there!" Les walked in a few minutes later.

"Creating spots for cover just in case. Drink your juice." Les was going through Ranger's office now, pulling a bag, filling it with handcuffs, gas masks, rope? He left the room and came back with prepackaged food and water for the bag.

"Why are you making a go bag?"

Les looked at me like I was being dumb. "Are you watching the cameras? We may need to disappear the next few days and mine is at home in my closet... Where, pray tell, is yours?"

I made a fish out of water face."I haven't made one yet... I meant too but I've been busy, I'm tired when I get home."

Les raised an eyebrow at me. "Your going to be the death of me... I know my cuz. He made you one then hid it somewhere just in case you didn't. He gives anal preparation a whole new meaning... My army pack use to brake my back but it saved my ass every time, literally it took a bullet once for my ass." Les started searching the rooms with his rifle strapped to his back.

His voice was a mixture of playful but amused."Beautiful? Why do you have candy hidden in an empty tampon box under the sink?" I started to laugh.

"I didn't think Ranger would look there! He is really good at finding my hiding spots. I think he counts the wrappers in the trash can too. He doesn't want me to get gestational diabetes. He said if he had to stick me with a needle everyday, it would lead to a very dangerous hide and seek, cat and mouse game, in which neither of us would end up with a happy ending."

Les was laughing, I heard him now in the kitchen as I watched Tank and the men move fluidly in a unit in and out of each room.

"Found it!" This apartment didn't have much in hiding spots.

"Where?"

Les held both black bags from his wrist. "On top of the kitchen cabinets. It's smart, your not suppose to climb anything so you would have never found it." Les was going through both bags. "I'm borrowing some stuff from Ranger's, remind me to tell him...Why he has six boxes of condoms... that is the real question." I was bright red. I didn't want to tell Les it was probably because we couldn't keep our hands off each other the last time we ran away together. At least I hoped that was his reason.

Maybe he had them somewhere for his use before I came into the picture full time then placed them up there to get them out of the way? I'm pregnant... why would he need condoms? Les went through both sets of clothing, the sizes for me ranged from normal, to a little pregnant to fully pregnant. Maybe this bag was for all year? I even saw a few baby supplies like a pacifier, bottle, pack of diapers and three bottles of my prenatal vitamins. I started to relax about the condoms again.

I looked at the monitor. "At least I know, I'm not crazy. I knew something felt off."

"Never thought you were. Anyone in particular I should question first." I shook my head no. I laid my elbow onto the desk then placed my head down to watch the monitor. I felt like Jodie foster in _Panic Room_.

I could tell by Les's long silence he was working on something in his head, he enjoyed talking as much as I did. "I have an idea but it's involved. When Tank clears the building, I want to sneak you out. Tank and I will tell the men your holed up here, I'll take up an office and see if the person strikes again. You have a choice, I can place you in a hotel, out of town or a safe house that isn't monitored by Trenton's control room."

I glared at him with half closed eyes. "I don't want to hide. I'd rather just stay and be used a bait. Set a trap instead."

"Why would you want that? I thought you wanted to get away?"

"There's a difference to me. I wanted a vacation earlier, I want to leave on my own accord, not because I have too. I know it doesn't make sense... I'm too freaking exhausted to explain." Les pulled off his assault rifle then removed my Kevlar vest. He placed his hand under my thighs lifting me onto his lap. He lightly pushed my head into his neck.

"I do get it, you don't like being pushed around but your cases are wrapped up except one. You said it yourself your stuck. Pushing yourself won't help, take a break to get a new perspective. Taking a step back isn't retreating, it's finding a better position to strike.

You wanted a vacation before this incident, you can still take it as long as Slick goes with you when you leave the safe house. You like the beach, if you don't want to leave New Jersey, I can send you to Ocean City, NJ for a few days. If we don't find the person you can come back or stay the week, play in the sand, listening to the waves crash."

"Not the worst idea but I can't leave tonight. I have a puppy meeting with Trent, I don't want to blow that off. Why can't I just move into my house? There suppose to do construction during the day not nights."

Les had his blank face in place."Security isn't set up and someone could plant something if they knew it was your home. Even if I set up the equipment myself, I don't trust the crew not to leave a nasty surprise for you if they knew your identity."

"I don't get it Les. I'm more vulnerable on the street with Slick. Why not attack me then? Rangeman is monitored throughout, it would be foolish to try something here."

"A Rangeman employee would know your protection, trackers, security in place. Your also constantly moving without a set schedule and armed. A trained military team could take you out but a few individual's couldn't. It would take a lot of planning, money and resources. Think about it. Ranger's away. If I wasn't here and the alarm went off what would you have done?"

"Tried to ignore it then try to make the noise stop, eventually call the control room. If they told me it was a real fire, I would have exited the building or went to the garage to drive my car away to a hotel... I'd like to say I would be armed but when I'm tired, I would have probably only taken my work bag and my keys because it has my wallet. If I saw smoke in the garage, I would have exited through the lobby to the front door."

"Exactly alone or someone may have approached you pretending to help then taken you. Control was distracted with multiple interiors alarms, they may have missed you on the cameras while giving orders to the team. I didn't tell anyone I was up here but Tank, I even scrambled the feed." Les hugged me tighter to his body.

"Why me? I don't think I've pissed anyone in this building off lately... Hal's stun gun incident was years ago, I apologized. I consider us friend's, I stepped on Slick's manhood by mistake because of that stupid snake, it's not him. I haven't done anything to anyone else."

"Your tired, your thinking literally. This could be because of Ranger. Maybe he disciplined someone harshly or someone didn't get a bonus or good review, a grudge about an assignment. Your worth a lot to Ranger, in extension me and Tank. Both of us would pay everything to get you back if it was a ransom. It could also be Jeanne Ellen screwing one of the men and she put him up to this."

While Les was talking, Cross came to mind. I didn't know whether to tell Les about him, Ranger didn't say I couldn't, but he didn't say I should advertise it either. I still felt I had that dream for a reason.

I whispered into Les's ear, not because I worried someone would hear, I was too tired to care. "It might be Cross." Les tensed then squeezed his arms tighter around me. He used his hand against my cheek to make me look into his eyes.

"What do you know about him?" Les had a serious face then softened his expression to make me comfortable. "Do you know him or did someone tell you his name?"

"I... I met him. I didn't like him. I don't think he knows my real name, I'm not sure. He gave me a bad feeling like he was a bad person, a person that would sell his mother for a nickel... I had a bad dream about him a while ago. It felt like an omen, I was in an office building trying to escape and a Rangeman team came in to save me then Ranger's Porsche blew up. Ranger said it was just a dream, it felt real. I haven't seen Cross in months, he doesn't know Ranger and I are together... I'm not sure."

Les was working something out in his head for a while. "I know how you feel about shooting people but he's one of those people, you should shoot first then ask questions later. I can't explain because it's classified but I never liked him." I laid my head back onto Les's shoulder, pretending for a moment it was Ranger's. Les rested his cheek on my head then ran his fingers in my hair while he watched the camera's. Tank and his team were now checking the employee apartment floors. It reminded me of Les's hair comment all of a sudden.

"I'm not a troll doll, you jackass. I can't help my hair gets crazy as I sleep."

Les chuckled "Most women get beauty sleep, you get troll sleep. You even have an angry little face when someone wakes you. All your missing is a bridge." If I had more energy I'd smack him.

"Your lucky I like you and your nice to lay on."

I could feel Les smiling."It's nice being myself with a woman. Your so small, I like picking you up. I wish you fit into my pocket, I would carry you around all day... I hope one day you will think about moving to Miami for a few months out of the year. I'd miss spending time with you, if I didn't see you. You even mellow out Ranger, for that you are one of my favorite people."

I'd miss Les too, he distracted me so I didn't dwell about Ranger in the wind for more then a few moments at a time. I hoped one day he could find a good woman, he was caring, emotionally open more then most of the men that worked for Rangeman and had an amusing wit. I doubted most people saw that side he showed me, it made our friendship all that more special.

Tank POV

I was punching my bag in my home gym working through my issues, I needed to get my head straight. The way I was feeling lately was unacceptable. I wasn't just letting down Ranger, I was letting down myself. I heard the ringtone letting me know control was calling me. When they alerted me to a fire, I assumed Steph was trying to cook, but then I heard about the break room and multiple alarms triggered on multiple floors. Santos had already given them orders to investigate then report back to me.

I toweled my sweat off my body then grabbed my shirt and swat gear. I drove quickly on the quiet streets of Trenton. I passed a safe house down the street from Hayward and knew Ella and Luis were inside. That was the protocol when an alarm triggered so they would be out of the way until we gave the all clear. Santos already gave the order for my team to meet me in the lobby so we could start clearing each floor, bottom up.

As soon as the men confirmed it was smoke bomb's, I knew this was a diversion, the only question I had, was if more were coming in the next few hours. My team and I checked every vent, piece of furniture, room and closet. The devices were set off on a timer, attached to surfaces, out of sight by Velcro, deliberately where no camera's existed. Smart.

I checked the break room and grimaced. It would need new paint, furniture and stove. This room would need all new items, I'd have to ask Ella to set up a temporary break room in one of the conference rooms. I interviewed the men on duty in the control room, they all had the same story, Manny was cooking some left over soup on his break. The stove immediately caught fire and the alarms triggered on the other floors within minutes of the fire.

I checked for booby traps or any attached devices to the stove that could have melted. I didn't see any, instead there was a chemical smell mixed into the smoke scent. My theory, someone wiped a chemical on the burners and the heat made it cause the fire. I'd have to bring in an expert first thing tomorrow to be sure.

"Manny do you routinely use the stove on your break this shift?"

"Yes Sir. I have allergies, I usually make my own food to be safe." Someone knew his schedule, made him part of the distraction. I checked the status of the men, no one was injured. I interrogated each man on the fifth floor, no one witnessed anything or showed any signs of deception.

Once I cleared the six floor and secured all the evidence in bags, I dismissed all of the men. I informed the control room we were off lock down but raising our interior security threat level. This meant no one could freely enter a room or hall without swiping there id cards for access. It was annoying for employees but it helped track movements for us. Even using the bathroom a man would have to swipe. Until the person was caught this method would slow anyone down from another attack. I went to my computer to confirm the updated changes to the security measure I ordered. Ranger and I didn't make this decision lightly, we knew it made employees feel trapped and frustrated not to walk freely to do there jobs or go on calls but it was a necessary evil.

The raise in threat level also meant all the men would be watching each other closely again, tensions were about to rise dramatically. I believed Steph was in danger and the intended target. I didn't see a reason for any other explanation. Nothing was stolen or accessed in the building, no accounts attacked. Tonight was my slap in the face, firmly pulling my head out of my ass. This could have been a real shit storm, I'm lucky it was just some damage to a break room. My life with Eve needs to take a back burner, I'd never forgive myself if something had happened to Steph tonight in my own damn building. Ranger would never trust me again to run Rangeman in his absence, let alone look out for Steph. It would caused a lot of trouble among the core team to the point we may have had to part ways.

It was bad enough Santos and I were at odds, I needed to rectify that. I still didn't want Steph undercover but he did the right thing by staying with her... he did what I should have done. I didn't have time to beat myself up over it, I pushed all my emotions deep inside and made my way to seven.

I saw Les carrying a sleeping Steph to bed, removing her weapons. I never noticed how small she is when she sleeps. I watched Santos tuck her in like a small child then kiss her forehead goodnight. I raised an eyebrow in question, I never saw him this caring about anyone. He treats women respectfully but this was something more with Steph. If Ranger saw this, I knew he wouldn't be pleased. Les gave me a blank face then tilted his head to Ranger's office.

Les sat in Ranger's chair bringing up the feeds from the past two days. "I started making a list of each man in those places, they are the ones I plan to question first."

I gave him the evidence bags in my hand. "Canisters are military grade, not from our supply, I checked in my sweep to make sure. I'll send them for tests but I doubt the person left traces. This was smart, well thought out in placement and timing...I was an ass earlier." That was my apology. Santos just nodded and bumped my fist in acceptance. I don't know why women couldn't do the same thing, when they fought.

I sat down with Santos and heard his plan, possible motives he and Steph came up with while waiting for the building to be secured.

"She isn't safe here. Whoever did this knows were going to investigate the camera's, that gives him a day or two to make another effort before he has to disappear. I want to move Steph to the Ocean City house that you mostly use in the summer. I only want Slick as her guard, no shadow." I was hesitant. I didn't like Steph without backup but the less people that knew her movements the better.

"I'm also removing all of her trackers, I already ordered a replacement that only we can look up. I know your cautious about leaving her alone with Slick for a few days...I paused myself but if he was the traitor, he could have easily taken her back in Miami when a threat was actively hunting her, then covered his tracks, faking an attack on himself. I'll make sure they both have burners with trackers for us to follow." Santos told me the rest of his in depth plan and my role to play along with contingencies in place. One was sending Steph out of the country if things started to escalate with Santos and Slick as her guards. It was two am by the time I left the penthouse so I crashed on the couch making a list of supplies I needed to pull off for this scheme to work.

SPOV

I woke up around 8, I didn't remember going to bed, I took a deep breath, waffles and mini sausages. I had a big smile on my face as I ran to take care of business. My hair looked horrible so I jumped into the shower using Ranger's shower gel to wash quickly. If I was alone I would have been tempted to use the shower massager but it felt weird with Les here.

Wearing Ranger's robe with a towel around my head, I jumped into my seat and grabbed my fork and knife waiting to devouring that golden perfection he was plating. "Are you still coming with me this morning or are you busy with last night's crap?"

Les was adding fruit and whip cream to my waffles. Another minute and I'd attack him. "Nope I'm all yours and I have something for you." Les passed me a jewelry box? Inside was a beautiful all gold necklace, with the bat symbol.

"It's not Cartier but it seemed like your taste, it has a tracking device inside. I need you to wear it at all times and tell no one you have it, not even Slick. It can only be checked by the core team if your missing or in trouble. I've talked my plan over with Tank and worked out the kinks.

This morning you will take your normal trackers, when we return you will come to the penthouse to leave them all behind and go with me down to the sub floor. Slick is already renting a car with a fake name and has your go bag, anything else you want, needs to fit in your work back so you appear normal on camera.

Once we go to the sub floor we will meet Tank in the Key Master's Quarter's under the ruse we are working on your safe cracking. We are going to give the camera's that show for 20 minutes then Tank will excuse himself to use the bathroom on that floor. We will walk towards the elevators together on camera then you will scramble the feed once we hit the elevator. As long as you are in the middle of the hall and elevator door the hall will also scramble the feed.

The moment you do, you have 60 seconds to make it to the bathroom at the end of the hall, Tank will be in waiting for you. Once I hit the seventh floor I will scramble the feed in the hallway and walk into the penthouse waiting for a few minutes then leave on camera. It will look like we were together then I dropped you off to get to work.

Tank will get you out to Slick then come out of the bathroom on camera and go to his office to work. Slick will then drive you to Ocean City. You can't tell anyone your out of town, we need people to think your sick upstairs. Tank will have a disguise for you as well in the bathroom.

The car Slick rented has a tracker only the core team can track. Remember that if your in trouble, you will need to hit a panic button for help. These are your new panic buttons and pen tracker."

"It's going to look weird if Slick and I are both missing on camera."

Les threw an overly dramatic hand to his head like he was a southern bell. "I'm insulted you didn't think I would plan for that!" He smiled and winked. "Slick pretended last night he had a death in his family and asked for Tank to give him a few days off for the funeral. He even planted a fake death announcement in his home town paper in case someone checks and alerted his family if someone calls. This situation makes you look vulnerable again. Ella's in on the plan too, she will deliver fake food to an empty apartment and store it in the freezer. I'll be sleeping in Slick's apartment watching the feeds from my laptop since I don't want your _fake flu_. Any questions?"

"I feel like Ferris Bueller. I'm stuck on how I'm getting out of the building though. You left me in the bathroom?"

"That Beautiful is the best part. You will see. Trust me. If I told you it wouldn't be as amazing."

"You guys have another secret floor or something?" Les just smiled and placed our dishes in the dishwasher.

I sighed "Sometimes this mysterious bullshit is annoying. I don't understand why I am never in the know. I'm glad I'm vacationing now. I'm so stressed I could lay an egg." I had one last sip of juice then walked with purpose back to my closet to grab my things. Last night's bag was well stocked, I grabbed Ranger's shower gel, one baby book with his voice, his t-shirt and boxers. Anything else I needed, I would buy.

We made our way to the elevator, Les asked me to put a show on for the cameras so I had a bunch of tissues in my hand and blew my nose like a horn. Les narrowed his eyes. I faked coughed then threw my hand over my mouth like I needed to puke. Les closed his eyes to keep from laughing.

"You look like one of Tank's cat's coughing up a fur ball." I glared at him. He checked my car over with a fine tooth comb then drove us to Ewing listening to 50 Cents _Magic Stick_. I didn't love the music but it was better then some of the classical crap Ranger played.

"Why is it you listen to Rap and Ranger likes classical? Where is that from?"

"We have different tastes but he always dreamed of having money and nice things. He didn't want to live like his parents, worried about bills and food. The music comes from his grandparents in Miami, they listened to everything, his grandmother would always play classical when she cooked, it relaxed her. I think deep down, she always wanted to learn the piano but never did."

"And his grandfather played Dominoes. What was he like?"

"He was reserved and quiet, a lot like Ranger. They use to play Dominoes together on the weekends. I don't know what they talked about... He took both deaths hard, it's why he doesn't talk about them a lot. I'm surprised he didn't take you to the cemetery in Miami for a visit, he usually makes a stop when in town."

"I only knew about Grandma Rosa, I'm happy to report she didn't whack me but I think she wanted too. The visit didn't go great. I don't think they liked me."

"It's not you, it's about Ranger. It's not my business to tell you but his father had all these hopes and dreams for him. He was the first born son, named after him. It's a pride thing. When Ranger got into trouble it made his parents look bad, like they couldn't control him and were bad parents. Family and neighbors love to talk, it caused a lot of issues. His father was hoping he'd learn to be a mechanic or go to college and better himself.

You have to remember their weren't parenting books back then you disciplined your kid how you saw fit and hoped that punishment would deter them in the future." Les shook his head. "Ranger wasn't that kid, the discipline fueled his anger and rebellion more...The car he stole wasn't a random person's car, it was a friend of his father's. I remember hearing my mother tell me how ashamed and embarrassed Ricardo Senior was and how none of his father's friends wanted to be in the same circle as him. In Ranger's defense he didn't know at the time who's car it belonged too. He just saw a shiny new ride, parked on the street outside a store then decided to steal it after a bad fight with his father earlier that day.

No matter how well Ranger did in Miami his parents didn't care. It was like they called because they had too, it was more to show the family they did, then to speak to him...The whole marriage and divorce thing with Rachel didn't help matters. It brought more shame because in our family weddings are big and traditional. No matter what happens you don't divorce unless it's for a really good reason. Ranger was the first in many generations to divorce then his brother followed years later. They blamed Ranger for encouraging him by helping his brother hire a lawyer and paying for it.

"What was Anton's reason for the divorce?"

"Anton's wife got an abortion without telling him she was pregnant. She didn't want anymore kids she decided. He only found out because she had a complication and went to the hospital the next day, the doctor told him. He tried to stay for a while they had kids but he couldn't forgive her. They realized they wanted different things out of life. He didn't tell the family the whole reason why, only Ranger." Both us of were silent. My heart hurt for Ranger, it made me want to protect him even more.

Twenty five minutes later we arrived to a large farm, lined with tree's along the drive. I bet this place was stunning in the Spring but a pain to mow all the time. I saw a lot of fenced in areas for training and play. Far off on the property was a home with an attached garage, that must be where Trent lived. Les parked at a large modern building, we buzzed the door again and met Trent at the door.

"Hi Steph, no Slick today?"

"No this is my friend Les." They shook hands.

"Alright let's sit down a moment, I need you to fill out paperwork and mark some boxes with your training needs. Then we will try and match you with a puppy."

I marked basic training then everything under advanced protection. I'm sure Ranger would want all of that. I thought of my own needs, it would be helpful if Higgins could grab items for me if I was on bed rest, like the phone in emergencies and check the door for strangers. Trent reminded me this was starting point, I could always add new skills as my needs changed.

"Steph mark this and this." I glared at Les with frustration.

"If you want a dog fill out your own paperwork. I'm not marking everything, it's unnecessary and expensive." Les smiled, he just wanted a dog to bring him beer from the fridge while he watched TV. I handed the paperwork back.

"Alright the fun part, let's see if we can find you a new companion otherwise I'll start my search today. You picked a male German Sheppard... the ones we have are neutered, it helps with training but also the males that are fixed won't be distracted by females in heat." Trent walked us down several halls pointing out different training rooms, the indoor track, the fake grass that looked pretty real to simulate the outdoors, the shampoo and grooming areas, several offices then the puppy room.

"All puppies are socialized early as I explained before, all are currently potty trained, have there shots and know basics like no chewing, digging, eating off the table, sit etc." This room was very clean and cheerful. All the puppies looked well cared for in the cages and barked a little as we walked to the end of the room to a large play area that was fenced off. Trent started placing the male German Shepard puppies in the area. Les helped me sit on the floor then sat next to me and called them over.

"I don't know which to pick. They all look cute. Les?"

"Ranger would want a serious worker, you want an obedient friend...Let's pull some toys and figure out which is both." He walked over to a toy box and started grabbing rubber balls with an attacked handle for the dogs to bite and carry. Les started tossing it over and over. All the puppies chased it. It reminded me of bumble bee soccer.

"I like these two Steph, the fastest of the bunch, they like to play but respond to Trent's commands quickly without hesitation." Trent removed all the puppies but two.

"It's a shame I live in Miami and work a lot. I'd take one with me today, although the humidity would be horrible for him." I let both puppies continue to play with Les and observed them. I decided to try something.

"Higgins?" One puppy stopped playing, looking me in the eyes. I smiled. He was the one. "Come here boy." Trent gave him the command and the puppy sprinted to me. I picked him up, holding him close to my chest. His eyes were a deep brown, his fur nice and soft, he had a cute twitch to his ears. "Do you want to go home with me? I'm going to warn you now, your daddy will be demanding, he is a big alpha male."

Higgins just licked my nose then laid his head on my expanding stomach. He felt right to me. Les looked into my eyes and knew. Trent took the puppies back to the cages, marking Higgins as mine on his paperwork. Since I wasn't taking him today, I didn't pick any accessories, just a harness that would be embroidered with his name.

I choose black with yellow lettering for his name, Batman's colors. Trent gave me the training schedule which would start next week. I choose evening appointments so my days were free to work.

"I understand your boyfriend is away right now but I suggest he joins a few sessions especially in regards to the protection training, Higgins needs to learn who his handlers are to be effective." I just nodded and took several pictures of Higgins to show Ranger. I signed a check to Trent and left. It was nice having a little happy for once that wouldn't expand my waist line.

Les opened the passenger door for me and shook his head. "I never thought I'd see the day Ranger had kids, a house and a dog. It's still a little bit of a head trip for me."

I felt like my head was just submerged under water, that was my life too. How did that even happen? I always thought this was my nightmare... yet here I am. I made these decisions... Ranger said he wasn't family material once, is this even what he wants? Is he doing this for me or worse because I'm pregnant?

I felt sick. If I wasn't sitting right now I would have fallen down. All my choices so far have been without Ranger. I bought a house, I bought a dog... he agreed to a dog but I made the decision without him.

"Is this what he wants Les? A house, dog, kids? Or is he going to wake up bored one day and go off into the wind just to get away from the monotony? I saw it all the time when I was a bounty Hunter, men get tired of the routine of family life, they want the excitement, so they commit a crime, leave home, cheat on their wives... each of them didn't think it was a big deal and would have gotten away with it."

Les looked pissed "Are you insane. He loves you, if you didn't find a house soon he would have bought you a mansion, staff, a new car, anything he felt you wanted or needed. He carries a picture of the twins in his phone... _and showed me_. You don't understand how big that is for him. Trust me if he didn't want this, he would send you a check.

He doesn't care what anyone thinks about him but you. Your bringing back that guy I knew growing up... honestly the dog is probably a compromise on his part that I'll admit. He isn't exactly an animal person but the dog serves a purpose for him, to keep you happy and safe. You see monotony, he sees safety and security for you and his children to be outside and not get gunned down...

I could see it in his eyes the moment he got off the flight in Miami, he wants this family more then anything else, he'd give up anything for you without a second thought. When it comes to boredom, security is, which is why we take local government contracts to keep things interesting."

"I don't want Ranger to end his contract because of me. I want him to do what makes him happy. I'd worry about him but I'd respect his decision at the end of the day."

Les grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "I know for a fact he's had doubts signing a new contract for a while and he wants out. It's a young man's game. Every time you get hurt, even after you heal it slows you down a few seconds. Those seconds count when it comes to getting away or being gun down.

I whispered "I don't want him to regret being with me. My heart couldn't take it... if he up and left one day for no reason."

"I can't promise you anything in this life but if Ranger ever hurts you that way or cheats, Tank and I would hunt him down and take care of him for you." Les parked the car. "It's Showtime. You know the plan, let's hit the penthouse to lose your trackers."

I grabbed the tissues from my pocket acting like I had a horrible cold, Les pretended to be disgusted keeping far away from me on camera.

We made our way to the sub floor. I started counting my steps from the elevator to the end of the hall, I only had 60 seconds to make it from the elevator to the bathroom. It was going to take me 75. I would have to walk faster.

Les and I entered the Key Master's Quarters and met Tank inside, twenty minutes later Tank went to the bathroom.

"You ready Beautiful?" I nodded, we walked on camera down the hall then got into the elevator. I scrambled the feed then went for the bathroom counting the seconds in my head, I just made it. I closed the door, breathing heavily against it. I didn't see Tank anywhere.

"Steph?"

I walked to the far wall near the urinals, Tank was standing in an opening, one urinal was a fake. I gasped. I had a million questions running through my mind. "This wasn't on my tour... is Alfred down here? Is there another sub floor that leads to the Bat cave?"

Tank pulled me through then secured the door. I noticed him in street clothes with a baseball hat. "Who do you think we are little girl? We aren't hidden the justice league in here, it's just an emergency tunnel to a hatch. We need to move Slick is a block over waiting in a car." Tank passed me a blonde wig and an ugly cat sweater with a kitty trying to paw a butterfly.

We took the tunnel to a small metal ladder, I climbed with Tank hanging on to me for support so I didn't fall. That led to another tunnel. I stopped short when I reached a door. Tank checked the feed on the screen "this camera can only be seen by the core team... the street is clear let's move out." Tank wrapped his arms around my waist and waited for the hatch to secure from the outside. I touched the wall looking for the door but it blended again into the building like it never existed. Tank walked me down the street looking for threats but pretending we were a couple.

Tank didn't look at me when he spoke. "I've been a weak since I met Eve... I don't know what happen to me, it's been a new experience I guess, I haven't handled it well. Last night was my wake up call. I want you to know you can count on me. I want you to trust me like you trust Santos... I need you too."

I squeezed Tank's hip. "There's no shame in blooming love, if your acting like a fool it means the feelings are real. I trust you, Les and I are similar we clicked, you and I just need more time." Tank placed me into a new blue Mustang with Slick behind the wheel. I kissed Tank's cheek.

"Good luck big guy." Tank just nodded and closed my door.

I whipped my head to Slick, he was wearing sunglasses, a brown letter jacket, white t-shirt, blue jeans and bikers boots with slicked back hair. He reminded me of someone...

"Oh my God, you look like Fonzie!" I started laughing, Slick was unfazed.

"I'll take it as a compliment, he was cool and got all the chicks... You look like a psycho Britney Spears." That stopped my laughter, I removed the wig quickly.

"I'm sorry you have to do this, I know you have a life too."

"It's a working vacation for me. I've looked at the layout of the safe house, it's one house but divided into two units. You have your own side and I have mine. We don't even need to share a kitchen.

You can have all the space you want or we can eat together. Santos said you needed rest and relaxation, so we can do whatever you want."

After two hours we reached a nice home with two balconies from the outside, it looked like a normal home. Once we got to the door, I noticed the hidden cameras, key pads and a security system. The place was clean just a little dusty. Slick went to his unit leaving me in peace.

I flicked the switch to turn on the fire place then placed a throw blanket over my legs as I relaxed on the couch. I didn't have that feeling in my stomach anymore. For the first time in days I was able to breathe again. I didn't see any personal items, like Greece this place was just furnished without any real touches. I sat admiring the view from the window, soaking in the normalcy of just being on vacation alone. I use to think normal was overrated, but in this moment it was what I needed the most.


	61. Chapter 61

SPOV

I've been in Ocean City, New Jersey for about a week. The first three days I mostly slept, went to the bathroom and ate my food Les packed in my go back. I didn't realize how tired my body was until I had no where to go and nothing to do.

I hardly left bed, if I was awake I was watching TV. Eventually I needed real food, Slick and I walked a few blocks over to Uncle Bill's for a big breakfast, the Jersey Shore omelet was heaven. We went to Acme for drinks, snacks and basic food then ordered takeout from Mario's the rest of the week since neither of us were good cooks.

I've laid on the beach a few times listening to the waves crash, thinking about my life and future. I pictured bringing my children here one day, chasing them along the shore. It was a nice, clean, family orientated town, right on the beach, close to the boardwalk. I took a stroll to see the shops that were open and found a great coffee mug for Les, it said _You've Been P__oisoned _on the bottom, inside the mug. I pictured pouring him a cup of coffee then waiting him drink the whole thing and freaking out over the message. Eventually he would laugh, it fit his personality. I also picked up a ton of taffy for me and Ella, a canvas bag that said E_motional Baggage, _it made melaugh. Valentine's day was coming up, I still didn't have a gift for Ranger. It was a struggle, he has everything and the things he wants, Ella buys for him. I messaged Les.

_Valentine's gift ideas for Batman?_

His response was almost instant. _Sex. Kinky, dirty, steamy with risky lingerie. Sexy photos, a nice Scotch, something for your new home that he could use in the gym or office._

I already had some lingerie, I wasn't sure how sexy I would look this pregnant. The rest I needed to think about. I picked up a few shells to take home to put in my glass jar I had on my shelf, a habit I picked up from Grandma Mazur. I haven't explored Atlantic City even though it's a short drive away, I'm just not a big gambler and the stores are similar to the ones in Trenton that I didn't see a point. Although Slick walks with me everywhere outside of the safe house, he's been good about giving me space. Sometimes I forget he's even in the connecting unit, he's so quiet.

I have one more day here until I have to be home for my training appointment with Higgins. I'll be sorry to go, I expect I'll return often when Ranger is in the wind. It brought me a lot of peace. It was nice being in a semi normal home instead of a fortress. Once a day I checked my messages, Eddie finally started passing me information about Royce and Morelli. He tried to apologize about the snake but I was still annoyed, he knew it was in the house and just forgot to tell me. It was a major thing to forget in my book.

According to Eddie, Morelli has been receiving threatening notes from my stalker to stay away from me over the past few months. I would think it was weird since we broke up a long time ago but the Burg just considers us still on a long break right now, it doesn't help people know Joe is still hung up on me.

I asked Les if Ranger received any threatening notes and he said no. I thought that was weird at first then it made sense. Ranger doesn't have a personal mailbox or an address listed on his background check. His address on his license is an empty lot and his bills are paid through Rangeman. Unless my stalker lived in town, he may not even know Ranger runs Rangeman, it's not advertised. Even if my stalker tried to leave a note, he would be caught on camera.

The only way a message could be left for Ranger would be on his car but he hasn't been out of the Rangeman building much since December then we went to Miami. It annoyed me neither man mentioned that piece of evidence after everything I have shared. Eddie promised to dig deeper and let me know since the medical examiner would be done with Jane Doe from the Pine Barren's later today. I didn't expect anything major from that report, Slick was crazy observant when he checked the body for me.

I've felt bad I've been behind on pregnancy stuff. Sometimes when people ask me questions I have to default to Ranger. I'm starting to feel like a bad mom. I've been using my belly buds for the babies to listen to music as much as I can and even started catching up on my pregnancy reading. To my surprise, Ranger used a redaction marker to get rid of anything that mentions complications and worst case scenarios, it left me with a lot less reading...My first thought was what expecting father does this? I was annoyed, then I realized if I had read those things I would have freak out, thought I had those complications, became paranoid and crazy, then drove him crazy.

I sent a picture message to Les of my book, he thought it was hysterical, he planned to start sending Ranger redacted Christmas and birthday cards as a joke. I looked at my baby name book next, Ranger had crossed out a majority of the girl names. I wanted to think he just didn't like them but a part of me felt they were of women he knew, some more intimately then others. It bummed me out to the point I threw the book to the floor.

I checked my messages expecting something from Grandma Mazur. She left me a voice mail earlier in the week, telling me Val was on a hormonal rampage and I should avoid her. My dad let slip I was having at least one boy and Val had a fit. Grandma Mazur thinks it's jealousy, Val wanted a boy for her last child.

What am I suppose to say to her, it's completely out of my control what gender the baby will be. In a way I understood her disappointment, my father was never really excited about her pregnancies since her first child. I know he was hoping for a boy, now every time Val gets pregnant he waits for the gender to be excited or not. It not that he doesn't love his grandchildren, he always visits the baby in the hospital and holds her but I know he wants a grandson.

Being in Val's position, I'm sure my father showed some excitement over my pregnancy and it hurt her feelings. She needs to suck it up and get over it. My feelings have been hurt since childhood, our mother has compared us non stop. If she wants to be mad, she should be mad at Kloughn, it's his swimmers that caused a girl three times.

I scrolled through some gossip and saw Joe was being cared for by his girlfriend, mother and Grandma Bella. He loves that I bet, free food and being fawned over. Eventually I have to go to the bond's office, Connie and Lula have asked me several times to stop by for lunch and Vinnie keeps leaving me messages about returning. I've heard rumors they hired a few people but no one last more then a week or two. My burner phone started to ring, Les.

"Yo."

"Yo. Bruce Wayne just made his check point, thought you'd want to know right away." I fell back on the bed and hugged a pillow. Ranger was safe, that was the best news I've heard all day.

"Good. Any news about a return date?"

"Negative. Just keep your chin up, your doing great." I didn't have a choice, I would go crazy if I just sat around waiting.

"Have you caught your Keyser Soze?

Les laughed. "I loved _The Usual Suspects_, Kevin Spacey killed that role as him and Verbal...Which reminds me, we need to catch up on _House of Cards_. Let's binge watch the day you get back and make a fort in the living room with a bunch of pillows and blankets. Pop some corn, eat some candy from your tampon box. I need a relaxing day to drink a few beers, I'll even make you some virgin strawberry daiquiris." I imagined him wiggling his eyebrows.

"Yummy. Any attacks since I left?"

"No but security is tight because of Tank. Everyone is watching everyone, it's not fun being in the building at the moment. The fire inspector confirmed Tank's theory on the stove, it's being repaired as we speak. Everyone thinks your still sick upstairs, a few men asked Tank if you were ok, Ella reported some men even offered to run to the store and pick up anything you may need." My heart warmed a little, that was very sweet, I'd put money down it was Hal.

"Suspects?"

"We have narrowed down from fifteen men to three. Brett, Chet and Sisqo based on the feeds not just from the locations of the smoke bombs but the break room stove. Have you had any issues with these men?"

I had to think. "Yeah Brett. In my head I call him grunt. He's huge with no neck and doesn't talk at all. He helped me around the time of that Dickie fiasco as my bodyguard. He tried to help me bring in an FTA named Coglin, an inventive taxidermist. Brett was a casualty of an exploding beaver. At the time he didn't seem angry with me, just surprised by the situation.

I returned him to the control room and Hal sent him to get cleaned up. I never interacted with him again. Chet... Chet I met during the Rangeman building investigation, he was in the control room on the night shift. I remember he was polite, not very stimulating and doesn't do small talk. I had maybe a 5 minute conversation with him. If I had to pick one person who hates me the most at Rangeman it's Sybo Diaz."

"Interesting. I'm technically related to him. He's the ex husband of Ranger's cousin, Marion Manoso. What's his issue with you?"

"He isn't friendly, a loner who doesn't make eye contact with anyone. I annoy him. My stapler got jammed and I was trying to fix it then I asked him for help. It was a mess. He accused me of setting him up, like I was part of some joke to play on him. I heard about a pot to get him to smile but I wasn't involved. I think people have played a lot of jokes on him, he may have issues with Rangeman."

"Does Ranger know this?"

"Yeah. Another person I would flag is Vince Gomez, he is sneaky and moves like an Romanian acrobat. He lives beyond his means, expensive car, jewelry, clothing, loves the ladies. I've flagged him before, not just during the last review but the Rangeman break in's as well. I can't figure out where his money comes from."

"Government work, I'll add him to my list. Sisqo?"

"Sisqo I don't know, never met him, just reviewed his file. I remember something about a temper."

"Tank and I searched all three men's homes, cars and didn't find anything suspicious. Do you have any special feelings about my three suspects to help me out?"

I snorted. "Not at the moment, I'm not the Psychic Friends Network."

"It would be awesome if you were." Les always makes me smile.

"Anyone get a poor review or disciplinary action recently?"

"Yeah, Brett's scores have been borderline in fitness and shooting this review. Chet was late and got a speeding ticket on patrol and Sisqo had a confrontation with his partner on company time in the field. None of them have an influx of cash in there accounts, cell phone records are clean. One was a former Cop and the other two ex Special Forces. All three men are currently single. Tank and I questioned them, none of them showed signs of deception at the time but they are trained not too. We've kept it on the down low that you were the target, we told all the men we were investigating this incident as a bad prank."

"Just use me as bait. Place me with each man then see what happens."

I heard Les sigh."Too dangerous. I'm already working on a plan for tonight, I'll let you know if it works. How are the twins? I'm hoping to feel them kick soon."

I rubbed my stomach. "Fine, my book says they are the size of sweet potatoes this week. I notice they get pretty active when I have cold drinks or they hear Ranger's voice... I had this dream last night, I lived in a tree with a door, like some kind of Keebler Elf. Ranger told me weird pregnancy dreams were normal, it was still freaky. Tank was our next door neighbor, he lived in a shoe with a bunch of cats." Les was choking from laughing so hard.

"And your case?"

I sighed and stretched my arms over my head. I noticed I missed a spot on my leg from shaving. I hate that. "Haven't worked much on it. You were right, I was forcing it. I'll probably review it today."

"Well when you get back, I have a surprise for you. I need you to go straight to the penthouse."

I pursed my lips thinking. "That's going to drive me nuts, what is it?" All I wanted was Ranger home safe.

Les used a teasing tone."You have to wait and see! How is Slick treating you?"

I made a weird face. Why did he keep asking me this every few days. "Fine, he's giving me space... He isn't the mole, that I would have picked up on. I trust him as much as I trust you."

"I know. I was just checking in, Tank's orders." I rolled my eyes. Tank was sweet but a worrier when Ranger was away.

"What are you doing right now?"

"Nothing, watching _Twilight_. Julie mentioned it on our visit, I'm trying to figure out some of her interests to relate to her, I want to bridge that gap at our next meeting."

"I'm definitely team Jacob, I can't root for a vampire that glitter's in the sun." I couldn't stop laughing, I had to cover my mouth.

"I can't believe you have seen this movie."

Les groaned. "Yeah... I've dated some women on the younger side. You'd be surprised how often that conversation comes up over drinks. I learned quickly when you say, "I don't care" they tend to get pissed."

"You need to raise your standards then..." I heard Les talking to someone, I knew he had to get off the phone. "Be safe."

"You too Beautiful." I held the phone to my hear and closed my eyes. I really should work today, I've been lazy long enough.

I used my foot to grab my work bag. I placed all the pictures and paper work on my bed. I rubbed my face with my hands and took a few deep breaths then looked at my notes. I never did find out where the stalker photos of my college days came from. I moved a bunch of pillows behind my back. The more my stomach expanded the more comfortable I became. It seems lately I always need to have my feet up, most of my shoes right now don't fit which is really pissing me off. I love all of my shoes.

I looked at all the carefree college photos of myself, me at parties, around campus, the library, pep rallies and school events... I was dating someone in the middle of those years, what was him name? Tim, Taylor... I wrote it down in my notes to call him. I remember going to some sporting events with him.

I looked through pages and pages of notes. I needed to investigate if any of the victims went to events, parties, conferences or doctor's appointments. I needed to figure out how he was picking his victims. All of the women had different incomes, Violet was the richest and the first victim the poorest. These women would never be at a similar party or function. I had the same issue with the doctor's appointments. Some of the women had specialists, others went to large clinics. Some of the victims went to political fundraisers but it wasn't the majority.

I'm the last victim... I have to fit the profile. What am I involved in? I don't go to church regularly, I'm not in any social clubs or lodges. I went to bingo once, I've been to three weddings the past three years and I never went to any conferences, Vinnie did.

I never went to any Police balls or Police fundraisers, not that Joe invited me anyway... When I'm sick or hurt, I go to the hospital or clinic. I use to go to my parents every week for dinner or Joe's family events but they weren't frequent. I go to the Tasty Pastry, Pino's, the beach in Point Pleasant and the mall. The mall would have the most people to choose from.

I just realized how pathetic my life was, I did nothing and went no where. I wanted to say it was because of my lack of funds but it was me... Something was bothering me, I felt like I was missing a place on the tip of my tongue. My phone was far away from my reach, I was too comfortable to move after the effort of adjusting my pillows for several minutes. I decided to call Slick and bang our adjourned wall to get his thoughts.

"Slick!" I heard him run up the stairs like a tornado, he rushed through the door with his gun raised then holstered it after searching the room with his eyes.

I was bright red. "My bad. I thought you would come like a normal person, I didn't scream at a high pitch." Slick sat on the bed smiling at me, he messed up my hair a little with his hand, I swatted it away.

"Where did I normally go before I moved to Rangeman, it has to have a decent crowd." I read him my list.

"Funeral home with your Granny?" I took a moment to absorb his words then dropped my papers in my hand. I started grabbing different pictures from my files looking for Kate's apartment. I started searching each photo, right next to Kate's computer was a memorial card from the United Methodist Church in Medford. I grabbed my laptop looking for the original file to enlarge the picture. I tried for a minute but the image was getting fuzzy.

"Help please. Unless it's Minesweeper or Paint, I suck with most software. I want to enlarge this card here on the desk. I need to see the deceased name and date." Slick took my laptop while I went through my hard copy pictures of Violet's home, ten pictures in I saw another funeral card on her fridge under a magnet.

I felt the wind knock out of me. "Son of a bitch. How did I miss that?" I pulled out my phone looking for the numbers of people I had spoken with in the past regarding the victims. Friends, past employers, I needed to know if all the victims had attended funerals months before their disappearances.

RPOV

I've spent a week in the rain forest of Ecuador, right now we are in the wet season, it has been raining three days straight. Once we landed my team and I stayed in a hotel for two nights to collect equipment and secure transportation. I was keeping a close eye on Oxanna, she hasn't said or done anything else to me or Dom but I didn't trust her as far as I could throw her.

Dom located six compounds in the jungle that corresponded to laboratory equipment orders in the time frame the asset was taken. My initial plan was to drive as much as possible but the rain has damaged most of the main roads washing them out. If I tried to drive a vehicle we could become stuck in the mud. The rivers weren't safe at the moment either, with the rising water and creatures that live in the water, our raft could easy be damaged by a tree or crocodile and then we would be stuck.

I decided to drive as close as possible then go on foot. I could have waited out the weather but that would delayed me another week, I rather get out of here as soon as possible. I had several enemies in South America I rather not deal with if I didn't have to engaged them.

I've been using my contacts in this area to figure out which compounds could belong to the drug cartels but I haven't received much information in return. Some days have been hot and humid, other days a down pour, making our packs heavier on our backs. We've been lucky not to come across many locals in our travels or large wild animals but I could do without the leeches covering my shoes. Most people think the best way is to removed them is to burn them off but that releases toxins back into your system. Using a knife or finger nail is the best to removed the blood suckers from the skin. Since it was only my boots and not my body, I used my knife to scrap them off each break then flung them back into the jungle.

I think of Babe every time I do this, she would be freaking out, screaming if she had a leech on her, begging me to get it off of her beautiful skin. I tried not to think of her but at times it was unavoidable. The jungle is a beautiful place, something I'd like to show her one day but I know she would never last. She is a strong woman who fears nature. I had a feeling with her luck she would pick up a parasitic worm from the water or fruit then never go anywhere again that didn't have a hotel. I hoped my children took after me in that respect, I wanted to travel with them, show them places off the beaten path in tents. I didn't want them scared or sheltered.

I saw one leech trying to escape up my pant leg, I knew they didn't technically transmit any diseases but they hurt like a bitch. I've seen men fall asleep then wake up with a bunch on their skin, sick from massive blood loss. I've been applying DEET to repel them not just on my clothes, boots and pack but on my skin. The rain only makes it so effective but I reapply religiously. Even in heat, I would have to reapply every two hours to keeps all the nasty bugs away from me.

Some men sleep in hammocks to avoid bugs and animals but I prefer sleeping on the ground in a tent. Placement is key, I never sleep near any animal trails, animal feces or watering holes. I try to look out for my men but they aren't always so lucky. Yesterday Dom came into contact with some Chiggers. Tiny little bastards that are hard to see with the naked eye, but look red or white dots. They live in tall grass or dense undergrowth.

Dom wasn't aware of his surrounds and some Chiggers crawled up his leg and bit him. Unfortunately there bites make you itch for weeks, sometimes months. I gave him anti itch cream but it helps only so much. Eventually I found banana leaves and told him to use the juice to bring down the itching, I couldn't keep watching him scratch his ass and junk anymore. It was a shame it didn't happen to Oxanna, she still gave me salacious glances every so often then roamed her eyes over my body. All I did was glare at her in return or clean my knife. I didn't know yet what her game was but I knew it was something. She never acted this way on any past missions after I turned her down.

I could feel the rain dripping from my face even though I was wearing a hat for protection. It reminded me of my last trip to the amazon where I came into contact with sweat bee's. They didn't sting but tickled my skin while they tried to remove the salt off my skin. It's hard to fight them off, it's easier just to wear layers even in heat or just ignore them. I've been vigilant in my surroundings not just for hostiles but poisonous creatures.

I've been in units in the past where the men were complete morons, touching branches without looking first, getting sick from ants, thorns or hairy caterpillars. I try to research areas the best I can to know which wildlife is safe but it's impossible. New species turn up everyday. My rule of thumb is not to touch anything, especially brightly colored ants, beetles, snakes, frogs or birds, they tend to be the poisonous or aggressive. Strategically I placed Oxanna as lead to trek through the jungle for many reasons, one I didn't want her shooting me in the back and two she would be more likely to step on a well camouflaged pit viper. My priority was to complete my mission and make it home.

I heard Dom talking to Oxanna about a few days ago, we came across tourists hiding out in a cave trying to avoid the rain, I decided to rest as well since they had a fire already started. One young college kid thought a Candirus fish invaded his urinary track since he was in so much pain. Listening to his story it sounded more like an STD and he was trying to save face with his girlfriend by blaming the fish.

I didn't want to stop long, just an hour to eat and rest my legs. I was pushing my unit hard but no one complained. I listened to the stories of the tourists, one woman reminded me of Babe. She kept telling everyone she wasn't going anywhere near the water for fear of piranhas, stingrays, river sharks, electric eels and rays. Their isn't much entertainment in the jungle so I messed around with her, I gave her a blank expression and told her she should be more scared of the anacondas eating her whole. She looked like she was going to pass out then kept saying she never wanted to go to this horrible place then hit her boyfriend over and over. It always amazes me when I come across traveler's that don't take the time to research the area.

Today my unit and I climbed steep ridges, I took a moment to admire the fast flowing rivers and quiet songs of birds moving through the trees. The rain has stopped and now it's a clear day. I forgot how fast the weather changes in a single day here. In the more rocky areas my unit and I had to use vines to get across questionable areas. It reminded me how much Santos use to love these vines. The idiot thought he was Tarzan swinging back and forth making a fool out of himself. I liked my old unit of Bobby, Santos and Tank, I didn't mind their chatter, I trusted them to be aware of their surroundings no matter what, they never let me down.

My team at this moment wasn't the worst but not the best. This was a priority task, I wanted to extract the critical personality out of the hostile area then escape and evade over the border on our way back to U.S. soil quickly but quietly.

I checked my map again with my gps coordinates, we were about 25 klicks from the first compound. I expected to make it by tomorrow to set up surveillance. The roads to that specific compound were riddled with security according to satellite imaging. With a larger team we could have taken them out, in a unit of three we were more likely to be gunned down. I looked at my watch, we had been walking the past four hours.

"Hold. Rest for 30. Set up a perimeter." I took my position to watch our backs will Oxanna covered the front and Dom the sides. I sat on my pack, draining another bottle of water and replenishing my energy levels with trail mix. My beard was growing thick and starting to itch a little.

Dom spoke up "What's the plan if we find the asset?"

"Check for a weak point of entry then enter under the cover of darkness. I want us to be as quiet as possible and get in and out without getting into a fire fight. Depending on the roads we may steal a vehicle from the compound or use the river to get us out. I don't want to take the asset through the jungle unless I have too."

I turned to Oxanna. "Did you find out what the asset was working on in Spain?" Oxanna licked her lips while she slowly toweled her body off to remove sweat.

"Not specifically, my guess is some kind of medicine. He was using different plants in his formulas and changing the structures then growing them himself. Plants can be used for an array of drugs, some poisons. A cartel could use his knowledge to improve product or someone else could have taken him for agricultural purposes, like selling his creations to make a fortune... The men in the picture with him aren't mercenaries or on any watch list. My guess hired hands." Oxanna started playing with her hair and slowly touching her body.

I got up to take a leak. Out of all the intel Dom showed me, I chose this compound first because of my gut. If I was right I'd expect to be out of here within the next week or two.

Tank POV

I had both of my hands over my eyes as I sat at my desk. "Santos this plan is insane. Run it by me one more time."

Santos crossed his arms and put his feet on my desk. I pushed them off. "It's not insane, your getting hung up on the stripper. It's simple. Ella goes up to the penthouse pretending to check on Steph. She will dress in Steph's clothes and put a small pillow in her pants and be covered up with a jacket, a small blanket, a winter hat, gloves and scarf. I will escort her to my car.

I will tell the control room hours before Steph needs to see a doctor really bad because she's sick. I'll use the excuse of Slick being away and low staffing that I will not take a shadow. If we have more then one bad apple in the building then I don't want our suspects tipped off. Hence Ella pretending to be Steph on camera.

Ella will drive with me to the doctor's office, we will chill for an hour then she will take off the disguise and pass it to Elsbeth."

"Elsbeth is the stripper?"

He sighed. "Yes! Elsbeth looks like Steph in a way, I asked her to change her hair color to Steph's then curl it. She will be wearing a hat, gloves, scarf and the blanket from Ella. I will place her in our first suspects back seat explaining I have a major client meeting and he needs to take her to visit her Grandma Mazur at her apartment.

I'll tell our suspect Steph is so ill she is practically incoherent and needs her granny desperately. You and I will be in two different rented cars watching where he takes her. Ella will continue to be in my car because when we figure out which man is guilty, Ella will drive Elsbeth home and give her the cash. I plan to give Elsbeth a tracker, panic button, mace and wire her for sound."

I frowned and cross my arms."Here's my issue. If you pick the wrong man and he takes the fake Steph to the apartment then what? We still have two suspects left."

Santos wiggled his eyebrows and smiled. "That's the beauty of my plan. You will call the man off with an emergency that needs his specific skills and replace him with our second suspect. Our fake Steph will spend an hour with Grandma Mazur in the bedroom alone then take our fake Steph to her "specialist appointment" for the baby. If he takes her and delivers her to the office, you show up for the fake appointment without alerting anyone, pretend to be in the doctor's office and dismiss him.

Here's the tricky part. I need you to start faking sick now because you need to act like Steph gave you the stomach flu and you need to fake going to the hospital after Steph's fake "specialist appointment," you need to call our last suspect to return her safely to Rangeman. One of them will probably make a move if they think I'm distracted and your incapacitated. Make sure you have a second car planted for your use to follow each suspect, I don't want control to track our vehicles and I don't want our suspects to spot the tails. I agree with your theory their maybe an unknown partner, I don't want control to warn our suspects.

Once we bag our man, we can take him to the Hamilton house for interrogation and lay down a possible cover for his whereabouts to the other men if we don't get our information quickly. Ella will meet her husband for dinner after driving Elsbeth home and not return to Rangeman until after the shift change. The only thing I haven't explored is the possibility of having to lay a new cover for Steph's whereabouts. I noticed the men in control note Steph entering and leaving the building but not Ella. If Steph doesn't come back tonight they will get suspicious and alert us.

I raised my eyebrow. "How did you get Ella to agree to this?"

Les smiled. "Rangeman paying for her culinary classes the next three months as well as equipment. Some Cordon Bleu thing. She was afraid Ranger would say no if she asked because it's French cooking, it involves a ton of butter and creams. She's going all Julia Child on Rangeman the next few months." I thought about it, Ranger would definitely said no.

"A lot could go wrong with your plan... let me see the picture of the stripper." Santos pulled his phone and started to scroll. He showed me a picture of her half naked body.

"Her face idiot." He scrolled one more page.

I studied her for a few minutes. "They look similar but not really. As long as she doesn't talk we may get away with this. How do you know her again?"

Santos shrugged his shoulders. "I use to sleep with her occasionally when I lived in Trenton."

I pursed my lips. "And she is fine doing this for you? She won't double cross us, tipping the mark off to make more money?"

"I'm not stupid. That's why I'm wiring her. She doesn't hold any ill will against me, she wants the cash."

I raised my eyebrow and breathed deeply out of my nostrils. "Are you currently screwing her?"

"Not at the moment, I may in the future while I'm in Trenton. She's sweet, not dumb. It's a cliche but she really is in law school at the moment and trying to buy a condo. She can follow orders."

I rubbed my eyes with my hand thinking of all the reasons we shouldn't do this, all the ways this could blow up in our faces. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this plan... You need to sell this then too. Lay it on thick with control once you leave this room that Steph is out of it, delusional with fever. Make it look like Steph isn't your priority and your annoyed you have to take her to the doctor's since you have an important client meeting later...Grandma Mazur is in on this lie right?"

"Yeah she thinks she's a Bond Girl. I told her not to over sell it, I didn't explain the situation exactly. I just said Steph was in danger and we needed to check some people out. She was fine with pretending Elsbeth was Steph for a while."

I shook my head. "She's a wild card. My gut says it's one of the three men but I can't shake he may have a partner. I watched the feed over and over. The night before Manny used the stove, it worked fine, the next day our three suspects used it or spill something on the stove with a towel. Later that night it caused a fire... The question is who do we test first?

Brett's been her the longest, he's a good solider, unhappy with his review. He spent the whole day in the gym beating the crap out of the bag when he fund out he wasn't getting his raise. Chet's a loner, likes nice things but was pissed with Ranger when he reprimanded him regarding his spending ticket, he was placed on research desk for a month. And Sisqo the former cop, had an issue with his patrol partner, it came to blows. Both men were suspended for a week with out pay, neither received a raise. All these men are intelligent, all could have gotten the smoke bombs from a surplus store, a contact or Stark Street, they sell everything right out of their trunks these days. What did Steph say?"

"Not much. She wanted to use herself as bait. She gave me a few leads to check out. She hasn't had any major issues with the men. If it's Chet or Brett they will be harder to break, both have SERE training (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape) and have been captured during past tours.

Steph mentioned Jeanne Ellen and Cross, Jeanne Ellen is cash poor right now thanks to you and Cross would do his own dirty work. He lives for confrontation, if he wanted Steph, he would come for her head on, taking Slick out first... I'm thinking Sisqo goes first, he's the newest man, only worked here six months then Brett and Chet."

I looked at my watch. "When is this going down?"

"Two hours... This would have been a lot easier if you didn't raise the interior threat level, our suspect may have tried again, I could have caught him already."

I shook my head." I'm following protocol. You have an issue, bring it up with the boss... I want a tracker and panic button on Ella just in case. Make sure you grab comm units and pray this ends well, not in a stand off. I'm going to grab a sniper rifle just in case."


	62. Chapter 62

Note: Clarification about the Kloughn children. Someone mentioned Mary Alice and Angie belonged to Val's first husband which is true, Lisa belongs to Kloughn who we see born in book 9 but Val tells everyone she is pregnant again in chapter 10 of _Plum Lovin'(_an in between novel of book 12 and 13). I always thought that would be a fun trivia question if Stephanie Plum ever became some kind of game :)

Then I made Val pregnant again in this story. That's how Kloughn produced three girls that are biologically his, two from the books and one I just made up here. I know JE never mentions the baby being born after _Plum Lovin'_ but she doesn't mention a lot of details in general, I was annoyed we didn't even get the full picture of Steph and Ranger's fake marriage in Hawaii. Now that would have been interesting story! Thanks for the comments.

Tank POV

As soon as Santos left my office, I grabbed a few burner phones out of my safe as well as some cash just in case we needed to pay anyone off in the process of this operation. I left my office slowly, I grimaced, lightly touching my stomach then wiped my brow for the cameras. When I left the building, I purposely parked at a Rangeman client's business, I wanted control to think I was checking out a system. I chose this customer because the car rental company was less then a half a mile away so I ran.

I approached the desk and watched the teenager swallow hard when he checked on my size. "Can I help you Sir?"

"Yes. Three vehicles to rent right now... my group and I were on a bus and it broke down. Sedans, nothing flashy or bright." The kid checked his computer.

"I have a silver Chevy Impala, blue Ford Taurus, and grey Toyota Avalon."

"Fine."

"Your license Sir." I handed over my fake Raphael Kane identity, signed some paper work then collected the keys. Normally the company would assist me in delivering the cars but the kid was the only one on today and couldn't leave. I drove the Chevy to the doctor's office for Santos and Ella then called a cab with my burner phone to drive me back. When I saw Frank Plum pull up, I could have kicked myself. He frowned lowering his window, giving me a confused look.

"Don't you own a car? Big, black, shiny?"

I slammed my blank face down. "Yes Sir. Training simulation today... Rangeman War Games. I don't like cheaters, I needed to move some cars without anyone's knowledge. Could we keep this between us?" I pulled out a few hundreds from my money clip and leaned into the window with it. "I'd like to rent your time a little longer if your available, I have a few more cars to move."

Frank's eyes widened. "Get in." He grabbed the money like it was going to fly away and shoved it into his front shirt pocket. I was nervous for a moment but he didn't talk much or ask anymore questions. I wasn't as worried he'd spill the beans, Grandma Mazur was more of a risk at this moment.

Frank took me back to the rental shop then followed me as I moved the Ford over a few streets from Rangeman for my use. I moved the last car, the Toyota by Stephanie's old apartment just in case Santos or I get spotted and needed to make a vehicle switch. After I moved all of the rentals, Frank took me back to my fleet SUV in the office complex. It wasn't an awful experience, neither of us talked, just listened to sports talk radio.

He parked next to my vehicle and turned around to speak to me. "Call me first if you ever need a lift, you'd make a great regular. And put Steph on a good team, she's not athletic but she's competitive." I just nodded and thanked him. It was an idea for the future. Although Rangeman technically didn't have war games, we had competitive training seminars. In a way it was similar, having trophies or medals would make it better. Maybe we could even do some kind of company war between Miami and Trenton for some team building crap our business manager keeps mentioning for employee moral. I tabled that thought for now as I pulled up to my home.

I checked on my cats quickly then started making two bags for me and Santos. Each contained a few bottles of water, sniper rifles, boxes of gloves, tarps, handcuffs, bleach, zip ties, masks and extra clothes. I looked at the time, I had fifteen minutes until this operation went live. I pulled a plastic shopping bag from my pantry and placed two sets of keys to the rental cars inside with a list of where the cars were located and some burner phones. To disguise the contents, I placed a bottle of water inside with some apple chips. I made it back to Rangeman with a minute to spare. I ran up the stairs to five, Santos was talking to the control room with a file in his hand.

I passed him the bag. "For Steph's drive. Fluids, crackers etc. How is she?"

Les frowned then sighed "Bad man. I'm gonna be pissed if I catch something too... Your not looking so hot yourself, maybe you should see a doctor too."

I brushed him off. "I'm fine. If I get worse I'll make a call, my day is packed enough."

Santos nodded. "Here's the client file, I need you to take this so I can drive Steph to her appointment then I'll rush to the next client meeting nearby a few blocks away." I nodded and walked away. I could feel a comm unit inside the folder. I closed my office door as I saw Santos enter the elevator on his way up to the penthouse. I grabbed a few more files and slipped the comm unit into my pocket.

As I got into the elevator to leave Rangeman again, I purposely took a deep breath then wiped my mouth with my forearm. In the garage I wiped my brow before I entered my car. I felt like an idiot but I needed the building to see I wasn't on my game, that would give the culprit a false sense of security to make a move.

I parked my Rangeman SUV a few blocks from the building then ran to my rented Ford with my bag strapped to my back. I placed my comm unit in my ear as I drove to the doctor's office to get into a surveillance position.

Santos spoke. "Check. One two."

"Copy in route to position, 8 minutes out."

"Ella's getting changed now, leaving in two after I wire her." I heard Santos remind Ella to keep her head down on camera and hide in the throw blanket that was placed around her face and shoulders as much as possible.

I sent a silent pray this would work. I didn't have a better plan, we tossed many ideas past each other all week and this was the best option somehow. The issue for me wasn't that this plan wasn't plausible, his ideas just had a tendency to backfire in a major way when we least expected it.

I had a small flash back to Argentina years ago when Santos decided he was going to pretend to be a Matador for a cover identity, unfortunately for us, he never expected our mark to place him in a position to prove his identity and almost got me shot while he put on a show for everyone. At the time I didn't know whose face was more priceless in that moment, his or Ranger's.

Luckily Ranger was under a different cover at the time and had established himself in the circle we were trying to infiltrate. He quickly excused himself to attend to business then somehow ended up in a high point out of sight in the arena. He let Santos the dodge the bull a few times with his cape then took a shot with a tranquilizer dart using a special sniper rifle. He saved his idiotic butt and mine.

That is why Ranger was the strategist in our group, if this was Ranger's plan I'd have more faith. I knew for a fact Ranger would never use Grandma Mazur in an operation this important, unless it was a last resort. I knew today she would be our bull, wild and unpredictable.

"Moving." I listened as Santos and Ella left the penthouse. He was talking to Ella in a sweet soothing tone.

"It's ok Steph, the doctor will make you feel a lot better. I'll be with you the entire time. I know you hate this but it's for the best." From the sounds on the wire, I could tell Santos was patting Ella's back a little and helping her walk down the hall. I heard the sounds of an elevator then the car door.

"Package secure. In route to first location, 10 minutes. Sisqo received orders to pick up package in 55 minutes and transfer to the second location."

I heard Ella on the wire."I don't understand why you keep calling me the package, if you can't use my name, I'd prefer something else dear. You make me sound like a Christmas present." Santos started laughing.

"Hmm...How's asset?"

"That would be fine." I sighed. Yeah Ranger would never use Ella either. No one wants a mother figure on a mission, definitely not bad ass.

"Sit rep before I deliver _the asset_." I checked the street and parking lot. I didn't see any cars staking out the area or suspicious people in sight.

"Clear." I saw Santos's SUV drive by me then park in the lot.

"Bringing asset inside to change in the bathroom. Confirmation _twin_ is in the building to make the switch." I heard walking then several doors open and close. "Elsbeth, Ella. Ella, Elsbeth. I'll leave you two ladies to switch." I heard the door close.

"Perimeter clear."

I heard Santos speaking. "Ella here are the keys for the rental. I'll drive to the cafe for my fake meeting to meet you. Here your wig and glasses just in case anyone is watching." I was already in place to tail Sisqo and Elsbeth. I knew I'd have to relay the location once Santos got rid of his Rangeman car. I was hoping bachelor number one, someone who hasn't been with Rangeman for more the a year was the culprit. If it was Brett or Chet it meant a higher possibility that they had a partner inside Rangeman still.

"Asset exiting in two." I saw Ella leave the building then drive off in the rental.

I heard Santos flirting while adjusting Elsbeth's wire. "So beautiful baby, I bet you wore this red lacy number just for me..." I was getting annoyed.

I growled. "Santos, whoever told you to be yourself, lied to you all of these years. Keep your dick in your pants before I come in and castrate you." I mumbled "Horny son of a bitch." Santos laughed.

"Package is loaded and wired."I felt a little better knowing this girl had a tracker, panic button and mace but our men were well trained, their was always a chance she could get hurt.

"Package and I are in an empty office, holding." For 45 minutes I listened to their boring conversation about making plans for dinner sometime this week and Santos's thoughts on _Judge Judy_. If I could have removed my comm unit I would have. I was practically celebrating when I saw Sisqo park 45 minutes later.

"Bachelor number one has arrived."

"Come on baby it's showtime. Three minutes out." I turned on my car, placing it in drive waiting to follow. I saw Santos and Elsbeth exit, he placed her in the backseat of Sisqo's fleet car then spoke.

"Yo. I'm in a rush. The doc said she has a high fever, the flu and laryngitis... You know where to go right? Questions?"

"No Sir." I watched Santos push the door closed then pull a can of Lysol from his pocket, spraying it all over his clothes. I started laughing when he couldn't stop choking. Eventually he ran to his car and sped out of the lot.

"Damn, I over did the spray. I just wanted Sisqo to keep his distance. I thought by him seeing me spray my body it would protect her a little more from an attacked." I just shook my head. I followed two cars behind along the streets of Trenton.

"Package is on course to the second location." The SUV was quiet. Elsbeth would cough occasionally or blow her nose but that was it. They parked in Grandma Mazur's lot then slowly walked to the front door. I parked on the street, watching with some binoculars. I called Grandma Mazur to let her know it was her turn.

"Hello?"

"Your on, she's in the lot."

"Oh great! I'm so excited! You boys should use me more for your operations. I'm a natural. I should have been a spy in my day like that Ursula Andress in _Dr. No_..."

I had to cut her off. "Edna Please. This is important. Focus. You need to grab our Steph from the lobby." I didn't want Sisqo getting a good look at Elsbeth or this whole thing would have been a big waste. I checked my surroundings. I didn't see anyone positioning themselves on the street.

Santos spoke "Sit rep."

"Bachelor number one delivered the package."

"Ella and I are in position two streets over from your location, she has a comm unit. I gave her the keys to the third car, she will follow from a discreet distance just in case we need a vehicle switch."

"Copy."

I saw Grandma Mazur run across the lobby and hug Elsbeth. My eyes widened, I had to look twice. "Holy Crap...Edna's wearing a tight leather mini dress with kitten heels and her gun doesn't fit all the way into her purse." I covered my eyes and groaned.

I could hear Elsbeth's wire. "Baby granddaughter! I can't believe your so sick. I made you a big bowl of chicken noodle soup." She wrapped her arm around Elsbeth helping her into the elevator. "And this strapping young man is quite the looker." I heard Edna wiggle her dentures in her mouth. "Hello sexy guy, I'm Edna. We haven't met." Sisqo didn't respond, whether from fear or shock I wasn't sure.

I heard Mrs. Bestler say hi to Steph. I held my breathe for a moment, she could blow this whole operation. I forgot all about the crazy old lady who lives on the third floor and plays elevator operator when she's bored.

Come on Edna. Come on. Speak!

"Going up Edna... Stephanie are you ok?"

Edna finally realized she needed to speak. "Oh... Steph is really sick Mrs. Bestler, she doesn't mean to ignore you... she barely knows where she is right now. She came for my world class soup and conversation to get better."

"I'm sorry to hear that sweetie, hope you feel better." I heard the elevator ding. "Second floor ladies' handbags and better dresses." I heard Edna disengaged her alarm system then move Elsbeth to her bedroom.

"I'll get you some soup you just lay down for a bit. Would the sexy guy like some soup too?"

I heard hesitation in Sisqo's voice. "No thank you Ma'am." I could hear Edna mumbling in the distance, it sounded like Sisqo was sitting in the living room or dinning room. I took a moment to call Brett.

"Sir."

"I need you to relieve Sisqo, he has an assignment. Steph is currently at her grandma's apartment for soup and visiting. I've been informed she needs a specialist due to her condition. She has the flu, laryngitis and a bad fever. She needs to leave in 45 minutes to be on time. Santos and I are both in meetings all day and short on staff so no shadow. Be alert." I hung up. Forty five minutes didn't seem like a lot to most people but to a Special Forces solider, it was plenty of time to create a plan and execute an ulterior motive.

I heard Elsbeth and Edna whispering in the bedroom with the door closed, talking about everything from pedicures to _The Golden Girls. _When it was mentioned Elsbeth worked as an exotic dancing, Edna asked for private lessons to impress her boyfriend, Christian. I was horrified that she wanted to wear a gold bikini just like Princess Leia because it was one of Christian's favorite movies. I cringed. If I could bleach my mind I would. I may have been faking sick earlier, now I really was. No matter the happy thought I imaged, the image of her wouldn't leave my brain.

I heard Santos groan. "I use to love that scene... I'll never think of it, the same again."

I heard Ella laughing. "Behave boys. She's in love, one day you will be the same. Show some respect."

I shook my head. "At least Edna hasn't seen you naked. Ranger gave her a full frontal show in Atlantic City. He thought he gave her a heart attack." Ella and Santos were hysterically laughing now.

I looked at my watch. "Calling Bachelor number one."

"Sir?"

"Your needed on Stark for intel collection. I want to know if anyone has seen or heard from Jeanne Ellen. Find out if she has been buying any equipment out of any trunks. Have Mrs. Mazur set her Rangeman alarm then your dismissed." I knew it was probably a waste to send him to Stark but I needed him out of the way and he had several street contacts.

Eventually Brett parked in the lot and collected Elsbeth at the door. Edna insisted walking Steph down to the car and made Brett carry a big container of her soup. I had to exchange my rental for my fleet car for the next location so I left my position.

"Your up Santos. I'm on the move."

"Copy." Santos was now the main tail.

I heard Edna speaking. "I wish I could go with you baby girl but I have an appointment with Christian... I hope you feel better and I will call you this week for that appointment we talked about." My blood pressure started to lower. We luckily avoided hurricane Edna and were back on track. I knew it would take 25 minutes to get from the apartment to the next doctor's appointment, I was just going to make it.

"Santos sit rep."

"Bachelor number two is on route, nothing suspicious." I left Chet for last because I felt he was the least luckily to do something. Seeing neither men so far making a move made me think we were looking at the wrong people all together.

"Calling Chet." I called him and told him the same story as the other two men but I asked him to take Stephanie back to Rangeman in an hour from her doctor's appointment. I explained how sick she was and how I planned on going to the hospital myself because I was ill. I reminded him, Santos was in meetings all day and he would be without a shadow so he needed to be careful. If he didn't take the bait, I didn't know who to test next. I hated to think we wasted all these hours on nothing.

I got out of my car just before Elsbeth and Brett got to the building door. Brett seemed surprised to see me.

"Last minute doctor's appointment on the top floor for myself. I'll walk her in...Ella needs you to go to the store and pick up several items for Steph." I pulled out a list I made earlier and sent him to Sam's club in Lawrenceville. Elsbeth and I found a large waiting room on the third floor to hang out in for an hour. I pretended to read a magazine while checking our surroundings.

Elsbeth spoke up. "This isn't so bad. I don't know, I was expecting something, maybe an explosion or car chase. I didn't realize security was so boring." I just nodded. She talked more but I tuned her out, I needed to focus.

"Sit rep Santos."

"Parking lot is clear. I don't see any vehicles on surveillance."

An hour later Santos spoke "Bachelor number three has arrived." I went downstairs and placed Elsbeth in his car, clicking her seat belt into place.

Chet lowered his window. "I just saw my doctor too. He is sending me to the hospital for the day. Santos is on call. Do you have any questions?" I pretended to hunch over a bit then covered my mouth with my hand like I was about to puke.

"No Sir." I nodded and got into my car, driving down the street slowly. I wanted to be near by just in case he made his move.

Santos spoke "Following Bachelor three in route, 35 minutes till final destination."

I was listening closely to Elsbeth's wire, Chet didn't say anything for ten minutes then offered her some tissues. I got a bad feeling all of a sudden. I heard a weird thump.

"Sit rep Santos."

"He seems to be heading towards Rangeman but he's driving slow. Something's up."

Five minutes later Santos spoke "Oh shit!" I could hear a car faintly crashing over Elsbeth's wire.

I turned my vehicle towards Santos's position. "Report!"

"Chet purposely caused a car accident at a four way stop and got hit... Not too bad but a decent impact. He is out of the car talking to the other driver now... You won't believe this, this guy looks like Howard Stern but dresses like Madonna. I'm holding a block away to see if a partner shows up."

Out of all the people in Trenton. "The guy is Sally Sweet, a friend of Steph's."

Santos started laughing "Of course he is, I bet she personally knows every wacko in Jersey... Both men are moving the vehicles to the side of the road, Chet is handing him his insurance car... Shit he just covered his mouth with a rag and pushed him back into his car."

I slammed my foot harder on the gas. "I'm two minutes out. Hold. I don't want a shoot out and have the cops show up."

"Holding. He's removing Elsbeth from the back seat and placing her in the trunk of a Volkswagen Jetta, eight feet from his car. She isn't moving. He's placing handcuffs on her...it looks like a cell phone jammer and a gps jammer in the back seat of the car... He just broke a blood pack on his upper shoulder and neck."

I pushed my car into park."Here. Move in quietly."

I saw Santos run with his gun lowered but Chet saw him. He started moaning."They went down that road! Quick! Hurry! They took Steph! I tried to stop them!" Chet was putting on a decent act. I had my gun in one hand and my stun gun in the other creeping up from behind him.

Santos spoke "Patrol is on it, she has gps, we will get her back. You ok man?" Santos was faking concern. Just as Chet sensed me from behind, I stunned him. He dropped to the ground hard. I removed all of his weapons as Santos went to free Elsbeth from the trunk. I threw Chet over my shoulder and carried him to Santos's rental car, tapping his arms, legs and mouth. Chet starting moaning, I punched in the face to knock him out again.

Santos moved Elsbeth to my SUV to check her out. I checked on Sally Sweet, he was still out cold. He didn't have any noticeable injuries. I saw Rangeman patrol park then Hal and Evan's ran over.

"Is everyone ok? No one responded to control."

"Fine. Minor car accident. Hal get rid of the fleet car for repair and grab any camera feeds for this spot to be delivered to me."

Santos walked over and whispered "She's fine, he gave her chloroformed tissues that knocked her out. I'm having Ella take her home now. I'll secure our guest at the house."

I nodded. "I'll clean up this mess then lay the cover stories."

I watch my men clean up the area, I told them Steph and Chet had minor injuries but were being checked out just in case. That would buy us at least tonight. I didn't think Sally Sweet would be a major issue, Rangeman provided him a lawyer in the past when he plowed through a bunch of Slayers to save Steph, at the time he was very grateful. I doubt he'd sue us now.

I watched him stir. "Dude what just happened?"

I stood over him. "You had a minor car accident at a four way stop then passed out. Rangeman will take care of your car damage, medical bills and my men will take you to the hospital to get check out." I gave him my card. "Call me if you have any issues."

Sally just nodded "You got it Bro." I helped him get into the patrol car then ordered Hal to bring his car for repair to Al then to make sure he gets home safe. I was lucky Chet hit someone I knew and dealt with before. Sally Sweet wasn't one for cops or lawyers. He told me once he owed us for the lawyer, I considered us even now. Any other person I would have called our lawyer right away for damage control. I hated paperwork, I rather just pay for the damage and move on. I sat in my car and rubbed my face.

I messaged Ella to return her car back to the rental agency when she was done. I still had to return mine and Santos's but I could do that later. I disabled my car gps and alerted control I was sick and offline, Santos was now on call for any emergency.

I drove slowly to the house in Hamilton, parking in the garage. Santos had chained, blind folded and gagged Chet to the wall in just his boxers. The room didn't have any windows or a lot of light.

Santos was at parade rest, nodding to me as I entered. "What you did today was very foolish Chet. We will find the truth... it's your choice if it will be painful." I punched his stomach to make a point. He didn't show any fear or weakness. I removed his gag with my knife then removed my own shirt.

"She's an innocent pregnant woman...she did nothing to you." I was trying to see if I could soften him, bring out some guilt or emotion but he didn't change. Not even his breathing. I shook my head. I knew this man for almost two years, I didn't understand why he would do this. I didn't know him personally but he was a hard worker and once a good soldier.

"Are you working alone?" He didn't respond. I punched him again. I asked him many questions. Did he have a partner? What was his plan? Why did he do this? Chet never answered. He never showed weakness. I kept asking the same questions over and over with no response. After two hours I left the room. Santos handed me a towel to wipe my hands clean.

"It's going to take a while Santos. I'll handle tonight. Keep the rentals for a few days, we may need them again. I told patrol Steph and Chet were getting checked out... mention to control it's at a private hospital under fake names in case anyone is suspicious. I need you to cheek the feeds, see who Chet is friendly with... sometimes I see him with Sloan."

Santos nodded. "I'll watch Steph and remind Slick to stick with her. I'll put a shadow on her tomorrow too, she likes Hal. What should I tell her if she asks what happened to him?"

I shrugged my shoulders. Ranger had qualms about lying to Steph but I didn't. She was a innocent person with a soft heart, she would blame herself if we told her the truth. "He disappeared."

SPOV

I messaged Les throughout the day to see how his plan was going but he never responded. I ended up spending hours calling all the the employers, friends, family, landlords and neighbors I had spoken too the last few months that knew the victim's the most.

The first victim, Regina Patterson from Ohio, attended a funeral for her favorite high school teacher Mrs. Dion Bonner, two weeks before her disappearance at the Bradley funeral home according to her boss. He told me everyone in town went including himself. Amber Lynn Tabernacle from the Lower West Side of New York City attended a funeral three months prior, according to her boss. She didn't know who exactly but she mentioned someone from her old job. I called her last place of employment, the receptionist told me it was her old boss Arla Wester at the Lewis funeral home.

Cristina Fox's boss at the escort service was very difficult to get a hold of then difficult to get a straight answer, it was like pulling teeth. She wouldn't give me any names, dates or times but Crystal was paid to attend two funerals months prior, the Covington funeral home and The Liberty Church. Jacquelyn Bridges, the Vermont resident went to a funeral for her friend out of support when her grandmother died four months prior, she attended the Miller funeral home.

I couldn't confirm if Winnie Grey from Miami went to any funerals, I felt weird calling her ex husband Reid since I sort of kidnapped him. I didn't think he would answer me anyway. Renee Griffin from Tampa, Florida was the same, her best friend was a big pot head. He couldn't answer a simple question, let alone remember a funeral and her neighbor wasn't sure. My "art consultant" Maggie Austin from Pennsylvania attended the funeral of an artist she liked two and a half months prior to her disappearance. That left Kate and Violet, thanks to photographs I had dates and venues already.

I had to rest my mind briefly from being on the phone so long. It was getting late. We were leaving tomorrow and I didn't want to stay up all night stressing out again.

"What do you think Slick?" Slick stretched out next to me on the bed, looking at the ceiling with me.

"Seven out of nine victim's went to a funeral months before their disappearance. It's shady...possibly a coincidence but it's all you have right now."

He was right. "I'll run the backgrounds on each business looking for common suppliers and vendors."

Slick elbowed me lightly. "I'll call the places tomorrow and see if they have any camera feeds and email them a picture of your suspect... I hate to say this but we may need to call Grandma Mazur. This is her hobby after all."

I took a deep breath, running my hand over my eyes and hair. I felt guilty. I felt I should have seen this pattern sooner.

Slick poked my shoulder. "Stop. I've been on this case with you since day one. I didn't pick this up either. You can't blame yourself for someone else actions."

I closed my eyes again. I knew what Slick was saying but I still felt responsible. "Tomorrow I'll research not just the common suppliers but funeral conferences, marketing groups, conventions, special events, training seminars while I wait for all the background results. He travels a lot. Maybe he's in the sales industry... it would explain the perfect hair and make up... Like they were ready for a funeral already... That was probably the key all along and I missed it."

Slick moved his forearm behind his head. "I had a deep thought too... Remember a few days ago when you were looking at baby clothes on the boardwalk and some woman noticed you were pregnant then rubbed your belly congratulating you... I think that's weird, no one rubs Ranger's dick and says good job." That image made me laugh uncontrollably.


	63. Chapter 63

Note: I've stated before but I'll state it again, I will never use a beta, I post everyday and would rather get the story out that comes fresh to my mind then care about grammatical errors. I could write tiny chapters, pour over every single word but I don't see the point, I don't see a point pouring hours into editing either, that wouldn't be fun. I told myself when it stops being fun I will stop writing. I don't make any money off of this, so no fancy software, just my old Kindle and the auto correct it uses (fun fact: sometimes pens changes itself to penis) as well as the notepad on this site.

But I've been inspired today to save for a new laptop since my current circumstances haven't let me replace mine, let alone buy anything fun since college. I'm using one of those clear plastic containers that is usually full of hard pretzels, washed it out then taped a post it note to it (so it couldn't fly away) it says "Please donate so I may buy a piece of technology that also includes Microsoft Office software to improve my grammar for Fanfiction." I'm currently at $1.35 in coins, a piece of lint and a button from friends and co workers. I added a Hello Kitty sticker to my note and quickly received a Jolly Rancher candy for my cause, unfortunately sour apple. Then I told my fiance what happened. He got very serious, sat me down and asked if I contacted PBS for a telethon in my honor... I'm still awaiting the call back, I hope Kanye West isn't the host...Thanks for reading everyone!

SPOV

Slick was driving us back to Trenton from the shore. Thanks to Hector, I could mostly use my computer to surf the web anywhere I traveled. The only thing that pissed me off was anytime I didn't move the mouse after a small amount of time the laptop would fall into this sleep mode or asked me to enter my password.

"Why did Hector add a program that makes me enter the password every 20 minutes, not just for the Rangeman software but the internet too? And why do I have to change the password every 15 days? I can't even use the same one again. It's never just letters, but uppercase, lower case, numbers with a symbol. Then after my effort it tells me it's too long or two short...I'm just waiting for it to ask next time for an emoticon, a poem, my first born and a blood oath."

Slick patted my thigh laughing. "Have you ever noticed it only does that when your away from Rangeman?"

I pursed my lips and squinted my eyes trying to think. "I don't know... I will say yes for arguments sake."

Slick rolled his eyes. "It's a safety feature Steph. When your on Rangeman's network it's secured it doesn't ask to validate your identity. When you use your hot spot or the free Wifi you love so much, it's unsecured, anyone could use a wireless key logger against you or worse. The lap top needs to confirm it's you because you have sensitive, semi illegal software that could lead someone directly back to you and technically Rangeman... And the sleep thing is a setting on your computer, let me fix that." Slick stopped at a red light and went into my settings. I was trying to take notes but computers were not my forte. "Now the password itself is for security reasons, the more intricate the password, the harder it is for someone to guess or hack it. It's not a personal conspiracy against you."

I moved my seat position back and forth then played with the angle controls trying to find my sweet spot. "Can you ask Hector to remove the password feature entirely from my laptop for me?"

Slick's eye widened, he became a little pale. "No... I ask for changes and you mess up, he will cut me." I thought Slick was kidding but he didn't smile, it made me even more nervous to be around Hector now.

As we drove I noticed a hitchhiker leaning against a guard rail ahead with a big brown beard, worn jeans and a green plaid shirt. He was holding a sign. "Slick what does his sign say, I can't read it?"

"Please give me a ride. I promise I won't kill you. Pinky swear." I started laughing, it was written in a blood red marker which made it so much worse!

"That's legit Slick... He made the promise in writing, it makes him trustworthy now."

Slick shook his head "No."

We were half way back to Trenton when my bladder started driving me nuts. "Your going to hate me but I need to pee again. Can you pull over somewhere?"

Slick drove a few more miles and found a little gift shop. I ran inside, I tried the bathroom door but it was stuck. I kept trying to turn the knob, using my whole body and shoulder for some kind of leverage then grunting and trying to kick it. Slick was leaning against the wall watching me amused. Eventually he said he couldn't take it anymore and twisted the knob hard, poof it worked.

I took care of business and washed my hands. I always feel bad using a bathroom at a business without making a purchase so I looked around the store. It was an array of items, some box signs, a few decor pieces but mostly joke items and shirts. I wandered into the Fifty Shades section to look for a gift for Mary Lou or Lula for the future. I spotted a t-shirt that said "_Mr. Grey Prefers Brunettes Who Like to Eat. Take that Slender Bitches_." It was very Lula but expensive. I don't pay $27 for a shirt, so I sent a picture message instead.

_Word White Girl. I'ma bag me a sugar daddy too. I'ma big beautiful woman that deserves the finer things outta life. Now get your scrawny white ass over here for lunch today. I've planned my whole day around it, I gotta have a bucket of nuggets today._

I messaged back._ I will try. _

I didn't see anything in the store I had to have so I bought some gum, lip balm and a super long wooden back scratcher. Usually that was Ranger's job in bed to get the places I couldn't reach but he was away and I felt like Winnie the Pooh rubbing against the head board like it was a tree to get relief from an itch I just couldn't reach. Slick's eyes widened at my purchase then he wouldn't make eye contact with me. I could feel him suppressing his laughter, I realized quickly it had nothing to do with me for once. We got back into the car and I started to use it. Totally worth five bucks.

"What's your deal? The moment you saw my scratcher, you freaked out?"

Slick shook his head. "It's inappropriate to say, it just reminded me of something I saw once."

I looked at my wooden back scratcher closely. I didn't get it. It was a long stick, one end kinda looked like a little curved hand... Oh boy. I thought about it for awhile then frowned confused. It's not a gripping hand though, so a man wouldn't use it for that purpose... unless a man used it to help him aim. I scrunched my face. Why would someone do that? I rolled my eyes and lightly punched his shoulder. "Oh Slick, you know what Judge Judy says, _Beauty fades but dumb is forever." _

He gave me a big smile._ "_I warned you it was inappropriate, to put your mind at ease it wasn't me, my roommate in college did it drunk."

"I'm sure that's what all men say when they do stupid things and don't want to admit to it. I have several _friends_ myself." I gave him a playful wink.

I went back to my research, I never realized how large the funeral industry had become. "This might be more complicated then I expected. Funeral homes don't just have conferences, events, seminars and schools but blogs, traveling speakers, funeral director associations statewide and nationally, I didn't even consider insurance providers and adjusters yesterday. And cremation... if a system breaks down does a company send out a specific repairman to fix it? I feel a little stupid for saying that out loud but I honestly don't know.

All I can rule out so far are local vendors like musicians, religious officials, caterers and florists... I had a weird thought too about donation of human remains to a medical school... does a company transport that?"

Slick kept his focus on the road, looking every so often for a tail. "I'm not a expert, I doubt someone would be in that business nationally. I think before you die you need to make arrangements with a medical school in your chosen state...I have to know, where did that thought even come from?"

I shrugged my shoulders and continued my web searching. "I saw an _Austin Powers_ shirt at the gift shop, it made me think of how he froze himself which lead to the body donation theory which I am ruling out as we speak."

Slick adjusted his seat."I can't wrap my head around you sometimes, I try to follow your thinking but it's completely original. I would add waste disposal companies to your list too. The chemicals, especially the embalming fluid they use can't just be safe down the sink. I don't think they can throw away equipment at the normal dump either."

I Googled it. "Your right, I'll add it to the list. The Department of Transportation, OSHA and state regulatory agencies make the rules regarding disposal. I'm sure someone has to check these disposal companies and funeral homes for compliance too, that's another set of people to review... I don't know whether to be happy I have a lead to follow or sad it's a very long list. I really don't want to tell the cops anything at this point, it would be my luck they scare our suspect away from his pattern and he vanishes."

"Do you have a theory about the funerals he attended? Did the deceased have any common factors that drew him to that particular funeral?"

I covered my mouth to yawn. I didn't know what it was about car rides but they always made me sleepy. "As far as I can tell, no. I wish we could investigate the mall instead, death makes my stomach feel all squishy."

Slick was adjusting his mirrors now. "It doesn't bother me as much. I guess I've seen my share of death while serving but I once read an interview with the death photographers of the Ganges river, one said "_You see death everywhere but what we experience instead, is life." _Neither of us spoke for a long time, letting those words soak into our own thoughts.

We took the exit for Trenton and I started getting hungry again. "I want to work today but I've been blowing off Connie and Lula with a bunch of lame excuses. It's almost lunch time, can you please make a quick stop at the bonds office?" Slick made a few turns then parked. It was just starting to drizzle as I opened my door. I could see Connie sitting at her desk with a romance novel in hand and Lula filing her nails on the couch. Old times.

I took a deep breath before opening the door. I felt like I had butterflies in my stomach all of a sudden. Both initially smiled then frowned and crossed their arms over their large chests. Connie pointed one of her red nails at me. "Took you long enough Steph. What happened to you? Unless you were in a sex coma from Ranger this whole time, there is no excuse... If you were chained to his bed I want every detail."

I straightened my back, placing my hand on my hip. "I told you, I've been sick. I can't take normal medicine in my condition and I'm working on a few cases, two I just finished. I have responsibilities and not a lot of free time anymore, I'm here now. Do you want to have lunch or should I just leave?"

Connie and Lula looked at each other then nodded for me to sit. "Who's the fine man in black?"

I didn't want either of them hitting on Slick this whole visit, I knew neither were his type so I helped him out by lying. "Slick and he has a woman." Slick gave me a confused look then nodded. He positioned himself in a seat by the door. When I tried to sit by the window he glared at me. I picked my butt up and moved to a safe location by the filing cabinet, using an empty crate as an ottoman for my feet.

"Connie and I were discussing pick up or delivery."

"Delivery. I know it's only three blocks away but that's Mordor for me right now. My feet are swollen and killing me, I don't want to be Frodo Baggins, I'd have to take my bag to carry all of my food like a pack mule." I know I sounded a little whiny but I really didn't want to walk in the rain just to save a few bucks. The girls weren't sold. I rolled my eyes. "I'll cover the delivery fee and tip." They said sold at the same time.

Connie spoke. "So I heard Batman is in the wind right now. I've been watching CNN, do you think he's invading a small country somewhere or in the Middle East?"

I frowned. "He would never tell me. I'm sure that's rule number one in some handbook." We all turned to Slick for his opinion. I wasn't going to lie Connie's thoughts had crossed my mind as well.

Slick looked cool and composed with his arm over one side of the chair eating his salad. "I don't know anything. I'm told less then you." I almost laughed but restrained myself, I didn't believe that for a minute. The girls turned back to me and I tensed. I felt like a big inquisition was coming.

"Your telling me your dating Batman and he hasn't told you anything about the wind, those fancy cars or the Bat cave?"

"Nope." I popped my p for effect. To be honest, I knew a little about all three but I wasn't going to tell his secrets. Ranger was a very private man, it was hard enough getting him to open up to me, I didn't want to lose his trust. Plus any answers would just feed into more questions.

They asked me more about Ranger's personal habits, the twins but I was very vague or didn't answer. I liked my private life being private now too. I mostly ate in silence listening to them talk about all the ex bounty hunters that have passed through these doors recently and Vinnie's adventures in bounty hunting. I kept looking at my watch. I realized in that moment things had changed for me. I use to love spending all day in the office, gossiping, eating, reading magazines and now, I just wanted to leave like school just got out and I needed to escape... It wasn't that Connie and Lula had changed, I was the one that changed. I didn't fit here anymore. Both women were great work friends for the past three years when I needed company to keep me from not feeling lonely but they weren't great friends for my personal life, Mary Lou. I looked at Slick for help.

"Steph you have that client appointment in ten, we should get going." I jumped up. I told the girls I had to run and would check in again soon. I wasn't sure that was true anymore. I felt myself evolving again. Change was usually hard and scary for me but being a mother really smacks you into reality quick. I thanked Slick for the save in the car and picked up my phone, Royce. I wanted to hit ignore but curiosity got the best of me.

"Yo."

"Hey, can you come down to the station to talk?" Slick overhead and mouthed "Meet at Rangeman." Slick had a point, it wasn't a time to walk around unarmed even in a police station parking lot.

"No. I can't go to the station. Can you come to Rangeman? I can meet now if you want."

"Sure on my way."

Slick called control to let them know I would have a meeting in the conference room then parked the rental a few blocks from Rangeman. We left our bags in the car for Slick to deliver later. Les had messaged me earlier this morning a quick update and my cover story but not a lot of details.

I entered through the lobby then scrambled the cameras in the conference room. I took a seat in Ranger's chair thinking how strong and sexy he looked in this exact spot. What I wouldn't give to kiss his mocha-latte skin and nip at his neck.

Slick grabbed some waters then took a position against a wall, standing. I noticed he liked to be at his full size around certain people to intimidate them. I placed my phone and keys into my bag, tossing it into an empty chair.

"What do you think he wants Slick?"

"I doubt he's going to give you any information, he probably wants what you know." Eventually someone knocked on the door escorting Royce into the room.

I looked behind him checking to see if he was alone. "No Morelli?"

Royce smiled. "No Dollface. I didn't want you beating him up again and he didn't want to make you uncomfortable."

I still felt a little bad about that situation. "Let him know it was an accident... I meant to send a get well card or an editable arrangement, I'm just not that organized in my personal life."

Royce laughed then sat down, pulling a tape recorder out. "For notes."

I crossed my arms over my chest. Royce wasn't acting like his normal warm self, it was putting me on guard. "I should warn you Royce, I'm feeling snarky today. I'm not in the mood for anyone's bullshit or games." I pointed a finger at him "You should have told me about Morelli's admirer, that threat included my name. And if you know who the killer kidnapped as his next victim, you should be alerting the media to see if the public saw anything that could help recover her." I tried to soften my approach. "Don't make the same mistakes as your predecessor, you saw what happened to Rex."

Royce had his cop face in place. "We don't release information that pertains to an ongoing investigation and we have no proof at this point anyone has been taken, just a theory."

"And Morelli's stalker?"

Royce shrugged his shoulders "Could be unrelated. You have admirer's and fans. It's no secret Joe is trying to get you back, with your past, anyone could have sent those messages to deter him, allowing them to have a shot with you instead." We both knew his explanation was bullshit.

"Never thought I'd see the day you would turn into Rex." Royce turned off the recorder.

"No offense Steph but I don't want to play games either. This is a big break for me to be a lead investigator and I am getting a lot of pressure from above. I need to close this case for my career and I'd like you to cooperate." He turned the recorder back on. I understood this was his big chance but I didn't like how he was treating me.

"Am I under arrest Agent?"

"No."

"But I'm being questioned?"

"How did you know to look in the Pine Barrens for Jane Doe, who we both know is Kate Westmoreland. I know you know about Kate, you spoke to her boss, land lord and local business owners in that area over a week ago before the medical examiner had an id for her." I started thinking of my response, I must have taken too long because Royce spoke again.

"Your not a suspect Steph. This is just a friendly conversation to help me understand what happened and then I will go."

I decided to be vague. "I looked into the missing person's list you had supplied me and interviewed a lot of different people. I was in that area checking out a new restaurant mentioned by the Food network and noticed Kate's work nearby so I stopped in to shop and have a chat. Have you received any information from the hotline regarding the suspect I gave you?"

"Nothing that panned out and the car was a dead lead." I rubbed my forehead and sighed.

"I know for a fact you talked to Kate's boss at the antique store the day after you found the body. How did the discovery of a body lead you to Kate's name in the first place? And how did you know she was in that exact spot?" I didn't have a real legal answer for that.

"Steph I already talked to Trent, he said you gave him a list of places to search. How did you know?"

"You said it yourself you talked to Trent, I didn't know the exact spot. Did anything interesting come from Kate's autopsy?"

"I can not comment on an ongoing police investigation. Why were you inside Kate's apartment? I have DNA evidence that can place you at the scene." I held my breath a little, looking for signs of deception in his body language. I saw his leg tense a little when he mentioned DNA evidence. I thought he was lying but I wasn't positive, he had a really good cop face.

"I go to many places. I did speak to Kate's landlord since she was a missing person and I felt I could lend my skills to the case. If a piece of my hair fell then got stuck to someone's shoe, transferring it to Kate's apartment, it doesn't prove I had been inside her home. DNA gets transferred by mistake everyday. What I do recall is spending most of our time at the Pop Shop for lunch in town. I believe I had the Greek salad with a grilled cheese and Slick had the burger, that was the point of our visit." I thought back to that day, I know my hair was tied back and I wore a hat in Kate's apartment. I was 98% sure Royce had nothing on me and was fishing. Morelli told me all the tricks while we dated, lying being the most useful.

"You haven't answered any of my questions Steph."

I played dumb. "Haven't I? I think it's you that hasn't answered any of mine."

Royce was getting frustrated, he used both of his hands in his hair. "Steph this is serious. I'm trying to do my job here and your obstructing a police investigation by interfering with evidence, witnesses and now withholding information. It's a serious offense."

I placed my elbows on the table interlocking my fingers in front of me. "You said this was a friendly conversation. Again I will ask, am I under arrest? I feel like I'm being interrogated at this moment."

Royce was getting a little red in his cheeks. "Steph if you don't answer my questions, I'll have no choice but to arrest you. Do you want to go to jail?" That lowered my sails a bit, I really didn't want to get arrested. My mouth made a fish out of water face. I couldn't believe he just threatened me.

Slick spoke up."Steph, he hasn't read you your rights. You are free to leave at anytime and you have the right to remain silent and speak to an attorney first."

I let the breath I was holding go. "He's right, I'm exercising that right." I stood to leave. Royce stopped the recorder and placed it in his pocket then planted his hands on his hips.

"Last chance Steph."

I shook my head. "In the future if you have any questions for me, I'd like my lawyer present." I went to pick up my bag but Royce pulled his cuffs out.

"Steph please place your hands behind your back." I gaped. I couldn't believe he was doing this right now. He pulled my hands and slipped the cuffs on me. Slick grabbed my bag so Royce couldn't search it then called Tank on his cell. I was lucky at the moment I didn't have any other weapons on my body other then my gun which was legal.

"Stephanie Plum, You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a attorney and have him present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a attorney, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning if you wish. You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answer any questions or make any statements. Do you understand each of these rights I have explained to you? Having these rights in mind, Do you wish to talk to me now?"

I saw Les and Tank enter the room looking pissed. "I'm going to remain silent. I want my lawyer." Royce tried to search me but Slick spoke up.

"She has a right to be searched by a female officer. Call Robin Russell." Royce placed me into a chair away from the table and made the call. He warned everyone to keep back from me or they would join me in the ride to the station.

Tank spoke up. "Don't worry Steph this won't stick, remain silent. Rangeman's attorney is already on his way." I looked at Les's eyes for strength and reassurance. He gave me a big smile and winked. Robin showed up ten minutes later, placing gloves on to search me.

She was sporting an uncomfortable smile which was strange since I was the one in cuffs."Steph. Please stand."

"Robin I'm carrying only one weapon, it's in my shoulder holster. I have two permits, one to purchase and one to conceal carry. Slick has my information in his hand. Robin checked the information and my gun and gave it to Slick to hang on too. She patted me down from behind then moved to my front. I looked at her in the eyes and whispered "I'm pregnant. It's a secret." Robin's eyes widened and she gasped. Royce picked up on it from across the room as he was speaking to Tank.

"What's wrong Robin?" I gave her pleading eyes, she felt my stomach lightly.

She was stuttering a little. "Oh nothing. Her shirt is really nice, it surprised me. I have the same one." I looked at Royce, he narrowed his eyes then turned back to Tank.

"Robin do me a favor and remove all of my jewelry and give it to Slick, it means too much to me." I never took off Ranger's ringer from Greece or my charm bracelet, I felt naked at the moment and vulnerable with out them. A well dressed man in an expensive suit entered the room, my guess Rangeman's lawyer. He spoke briefly to Tank and Royce then came to speak to me alone for the moment.

"Stephanie. Cooper Phillips. I'll be your attorney. Officer Russell will be escorting you to the station for questioning. So far Royce is being tight lipped about the charge, my guess is interfering with a police investigation. He has 48 hours to collect evidence against you and present it to the prosecution to decide if they want to charge you with a crime or release you.

I advise you remain silent and only speak in my presence. Officers often threaten a person with extra trumped up charges that are suppose to scare you, I want you to remain calm. Ranger informed me of your condition the last time you had an issue with an assault. I will try to keep it quiet but if your placed in a dangerous situation or not given bathroom breaks, food and water, I may have to raise the matter. If you are charged, I will work on getting it dropped quickly and arrange bail. I've already placed a call into the prosecutor to move this along and by pass the officers." I just nodded.

"Slick. Do my a favor. Call Trent if it looks like I'll miss my appointment." He just nodded. I was going to be very pissed if I missed my first lesson with Higgins, today was important to me.

Robin slowly walked me out the building with everyone following behind. I reflected on the meeting prior to my arrest. Thinking how I could have answered the questions differently. I kept coming to the same conclusion, I did answer his questions but I couldn't elaborate, I couldn't explain Rangeman's software in helping me narrow down the field or my break in of Kate's apartment, I wasn't that dumb... I could have made up a lie but Ranger told me it's hard to keep them straight once you tell them. He told me it was better being vague or silent then to give too many false details. I couldn't believe his advice got me arrested.

Tank POV

I was tired, running on three hours of sleep, I had spent most of the night working over Chet without any results. The thing is eventually everyone breaks, you could be in great shape and mind but time takes a toll and weaknesses comes to light. I placed Chet on temporary leave in my computer system due to his injuries from the "car accident."

After a week if I still didn't have any answers, I would place Chet on an assignment in my computer to throw off suspicion he was captured. I've been waiting to see who asks about him or visits his place. Santos decided to place a hidden motion camera just in case his accomplice checks out his home looking for him. Both of us have also been reviewing the feeds, making a list of his old patrol partners and people he has interacted on a personal level with the past few months.

I took a break looking over the reports from yesterday, Sally Sweet had a clean bill of health from the hospital and would receive his car back tomorrow. I had Hal drop him off a rental for the inconvenience. Running through the events of yesterday, if Santos and I hadn't been watching, we would have believed Chet's act. It was a decent plan but his acting sold it.

I still couldn't find a motive, I didn't see anything he had against Steph and he wasn't in any financial trouble. My gut told me it was about Ranger but this was an extreme reaction over a parking ticket. I looked into Chet's service record, he was never in Ranger's command or unit, I didn't see any places they overlapped in any tours and Chet didn't do private government work. I was still running past associates when Slick called to inform me Steph was being arrested in my own damn building. I could have smashed my phone to pieces in that moment.

Slick's guess was obstruction of justice but it was a stretch. I dialed our lawyer we had on retainer and informed him of our issue. This was nothing compared to an assault charge, I've seen cops hide behind that threat before to build a bigger case or scare someone into talking.

Santos and I took the stairs at a fast clip, you could feel the temperature rise in the room, the anger rolling off Slick, Santos and I. I noticed her hands cuffed behind her back tight. She wasn't a danger to anyone this was completely unnecessary.

I noticed Steph tell Robin her secret, part of me was thankful. If Steph was booked, Robin could make sure she got in a cell alone and remained unharmed, however the more people that knew she was pregnant, the more likely it would spill. It was just a matter of time before it was common knowledge bringing more enemies to light to take a shot at her. Santos decided to go with Steph to the station while I kept the fort running and made some calls regarding Chet. I gave Woody, my number two in training, some Rangeman business to handle in my stead. So far he was doing a good job, it helped he was friendly and personable with Clients but he needed more leadership experience among the men.

RPOV

My team and I have finally made it to the compound and are now taking position a short distance away in the trees, using binoculars to match an asset or captor to our photos. I expect to be in this tree for a few days to confirm either way. To pass the time I made a mini map with a pen and paper outlining the buildings and extract positions of the guards and cameras.

Looking at the walls, I couldn't blast them, they were reinforced. Instead I would have to find a way to climb over and avoid not just the guards that roamed the outer perimeter but the ones that walked the walls every hour. A few guards were also stationed just outside the main house in the court yard who rotated every four hours. My gut was still feeling strong about this location.

Based on the design and layout, I had a feeling a cartel owned this property. It was lavish with three villas, my guess somewhere in the $50-$60 million dollar range for this property. Everything about this place was flown in special, the style of the home wasn't consistent with other Ecuadorian properties, it was more of a Spanish influence similar to the compounds found in Costa Rica, with touches of Italian influences in the use of tiles and marble.

The main villa was two floors, eight bedrooms in total and my guess 6-7 bathrooms. The entire second floor had balconies that could easy be accessed instead of using the first floor for entry. The two smaller villas were single story and housed the men, sixteen so far by my count.

I had a feelings Oxanna would have to set an explosion on the far corner of the property in the jungle to draw the majority of the men away before I could make my entrance. I'd also wanted a sniper in the tree's taking out men that circled back as I moved inside the compound with Dom.

I heard a sound above my head, I slowly moved my eyes without moving my head and noticed a Toucan. I hated birds but not for the reason Babe thinks, yes they carry diseases but when your hiding in a tree and move even a inch, they squawk and fly, alerting not just people but other animals to my presence, giving away my position.

Watching this stupid bird made me think of Babe. I knew she would call him beautiful and magical, smiling at his multicolored beak and black and white soft feathers. She may even enjoy being in this tree with me for an hour or two admiring the monkeys that passed by, seeing the world in a new way. I enjoyed opening her eyes to those things, seeing her appreciation gave me a little faith in the world.

I checked my watch. I had thirty minutes until the next sit rep. My team was spread out and night was falling soon. I decided to sleep in this tree instead of my tent for protection. The moment it became night, I could hook up my mosquito net to a branch and rest my eyes.

Anywhere else in the world and I wouldn't be concerned about bats since they ate blood from birds and cattle, fruits and insects but the Vampire Bat in Ecuador was causing a public health crisis at the moment infecting numerous people with rabies. Most bats don't attack but with people traveling, compounds being built, animals become displaced, agitated and at times in need of a food source. People think bats bite but they make a small tears and let the blood ooze before feasting.

Being in a high tree made it more likely that I could come into contact with a bat, maybe not a bite but one could swarm my head making me fall from this height. I started gathering a little rope so I could sleep soon. I planned to tie the branch I was sitting on around my upper thigh to secure me. I moved my knife to my hip just in case I had to cut myself free to escape during the night.

It was a warm day, I used my sleeve to remove the sweat around my face. I took in my surroundings, I didn't mind the silence or lack of movement, anytime it weighed on me, I would picture Babe smiling or walking with two toddlers in the location I was focused on to keep my mind busy. Just her memory would bring me peace, sometimes it was the only thing that kept me sane as I sat waiting.


	64. Chapter 64

SPOV

Outside of Rangeman's front door I started walking with Robin to her patrol car. Royce spoke up "Robin place her in my SUV, I'll drive her to the station."

Robin frowned and gave him a little attitude. "I'll book her, I was on duty until you called me away." She didn't wait for his response just kept walking to her car. I looked back laughing at his annoyed expression. Two Rangeman SUV's sped out from Rangeman's garage, parking in front and behind Robin's patrol car. Slick and Les took the keys from the men then spoke to Cooper.

"Watch your head Steph." I gingerly sat in the backseat, watching the men on the sidewalk from my window. I noticed Les talking to my lawyer, slipping something small with his two fingers into Cooper's suit pocket without his knowledge. I narrowed my eyes. What was Les up to?

As soon as Robin started her car, Slick and Les entered their vehicles. We drove slowly along the wet streets of Trenton, of course the weather had to be crappy the day I needed to take a mug shot. I couldn't see my hair at the moment but I had a feeling it looked just like Carrot Top's. Since Les was the lead car, he made sure not to enter any lights or intersections unless the patrol car and Slick could follow as well. I shook my head "I feel like the Governor with this escort, four cars just for me is over kill."

"They care. I think it's sweet. The guy in front is a looker too...Hey Steph... is it Joe's?"

I smiled. "No."

Robin thought for a moment. "That must mean it's Ranger's? I heard the street talk, well I've heard it for years but I guess it's true this time. Congratulations, he's very good looking." I laughed then snorted.

"Thank you. Most people congratulate me about the baby not the man. I prefer your way."

Robin blushed in her rear view mirror. "Oh of course, both I guess...but he is WOW. When he hears about this, heads will roll, I'm excited to watch. Royce use to be a sweet guy... we went out a few times. Between the two of us, we fooled around a little then he got promoted, I don't know what happened. Maybe the power went to his head or the stress. He dropped me so fast I got whiplash."

Something I intended to look into myself. Royce and I weren't best friends but we were friendly colleagues before today, this wasn't like him. I hate thinking he played me this entire time, I was usually a pretty good judge of character.

"I just want you to know, I will try and keep your secret but holding was busy when I left. I might have to tell one other person to get you a private cell. I'll try to use the excuse you were a bounty hunter and a good amount of people you captured are in holding today but I can't make any promises. I might have to use your condition to secure that cell when push comes to shove. I'm guessing it's a secret for safety reasons?"

"Yes. Thank you." I knew I was suppose to remain silent but I needed Robin's help to keep me safe. We have always been friendly with each other, I had a good feeling I could trust her.

Ten minutes later Robin brought me into the precinct through the side entrance instead of the front. For that I was thankful, I didn't need everyone making a comment as I walked down the hall and I didn't need to run into Vinnie. It would be my luck too a reporter was here today getting information on another story and see me.

Robin brought me straight to booking to take my mug shot, finger prints then basic information, name, address, age, social security number, height and weight. I fudged my weight a little, it was still a sensitive number for me. Robin was also nice enough to moved my handcuffs to the front of my body during processing, making me mildly more comfortable to sit. I could feel all the cops staring and talking about me as I was placed inside an interrogation room. Not much had changed since I was in here with Ranger. The mental chair was already giving me a cramp in my ass and the smell of the room was a mixture of urine and bleach. I was nervous what was cleaned since it wasn't the table or floor.

I sat fidgeting in my uncomfortable chair just staring at the one way mirror, knowing people were behind it talking and laughing at me. I was pissed, wet and cold, I flipped them the bird for a minute and glared. Not very adult but my journey was a work in progress.

Cooper Phillips walked in ten minutes later, sat down and removed a legal pad. "Stephanie your first instinct will be to lie to me, don't. I'm paid very well to help you but I need the truth to be successful. I need to know what the police want, what they think you did and what you actually did to defend you. If I know the whole story I can shut down lines of questioning before they even try to start."

I looked at the mirror "How do I know it's safe to speak?"

Cooper smiled "I'm not an idiot Stephanie, I checked thirty seconds before I walked in here and Slick is watching that door to make sure the police behave. If the police ever recorded you or watched you behind that glass while you spoke to me privately, I'd bankrupt this city with a suit and get the case thrown out against you."

Cooper pulled out from glasses from his briefcase "Now you've been processed but not charged, I want to make clear that even if you released in the next few hours, any arrest record can easily be expunged. I also informed the police you would bring suit for them talking to the press or releasing your mug shot while being held for questioning. I understand you recently started your own business, I don't want that to be affected by slander. If your charged then it becomes public record and you will probably be mentioned in the papers but I will make sure it stays as contained as possible at the moment."

"The paper doesn't need to report anything, the moment I stepped foot in this station everyone I know and grew up with knew I was here. Gossip in this town is fast."

"From what I've been told your accused of interfering with a police investigation." Cooper grabbed some papers. "I understand your a licensed private investigator in the state, I have a general idea of the case thanks to Slick. I'd like to hear your side, start from the beginning."

For the next hour I told Cooper the majority of what happened. I didn't tell him the exact software I used or which apartments I broke into exactly but he read in between the lines. I talked about my relationship with Royce and the possible evidence he may have on me too.

"So you told him where a key piece of evidence was in Violet's home off the record... I need to look into that... my feeling is he won't mention it today. He probably took credit for it, it would hurt his chain of custody and reputation to mention it now. Royce threatening DNA evidence on you from Kate's apartment could be a small problem. You didn't admit you were on the third floor but you did tell him you spoke to the landlord... In the future, that's the point you should have asked for a lawyer. What's the chance he has this evidence and he isn't lying?"

I bit my lip thinking. "Maybe one percent. Morelli my ex, would have warned me if it was true. He still has a thing for me and were kinda friends, at least I think he would tell me. Crap...He didn't tell me Dickie was alive last time." I placed my hands over my eyes and groaned. "I'm pretty sure Royce is bluffing to get me to talk."

"And you talked to witnesses. Did you coerce, intimidate or ask them to change their statements in anyway or not speak to the Police?"

"Of course not."

"Did you mislead the police with any false leads on purpose?"

"No. I gave them the suspect's picture and possible vehicle. I even discovered most of the key evidence."

"And the dead body... you didn't know where it was this whole time, just a possible location based on the pattern of the killer to narrow down locations to search?"

"Yes." Cooper was thinking.

"Do you think your ex, Detective Morelli is part of this arrest as retaliation from his former assault on you in which he became injured instead?"

I thought for a minute. "No. Joe's many things, he's not this petty. He would huff and puff then waive his hands around if he wanted answers to his questions. He would never arrest me unless he had too and even then I think he would give me a head start if I was innocent. If Joe wanted to press charges against me, he could have. I believe this is Royce's show but I don't know why yet."

"My legal advice, keep your answers short and to the point. They will try to attack your character, past, make you deals and lie. No one can make any deals accept the prosecutor's office. Your a licensed investigator, your investigating because it directly involves you. I see nothing illegal about that, as far as I can see they may charge you with breaking and entering if they have DNA evidence.

However, you didn't lie to them. You admitted to being in the area and in the home with the landlord. From the layout of the home you described it's plausible a hair could have fallen then tracked around by a shoe. The apartment is unoccupied currently and was searched when the initial police investigated Kate's missing persons report. The landlord and police could have easily transferred that DNA themselves to the carpet if they took the stairs."

Cooper ran his finger over his lip. "Try to let me do most of the talking, I'll nod when it's ok to answer... my last concern is your condition. Ranger as well as Mr. Santos told me you suffer from higher then normal blood pressure and are pregnant with twins which is a higher risk pregnancy. Do you require any medication that this documented by a physician?"

"Just a vitamin and Tums. I get bad heartburn from certain foods. It's documented but under a false name for security reasons and yes the Physician is aware it's a false name."

"And your needs? I'm guessing bathroom visits often and your can't eat or drink certain items?"

"Yes."

"I'll make sure to advocate your needs and get you to a bathroom now before questioning. I'll insist on breaks every two hours for the bathroom then every four to eat and stretch your legs. I may need to contact your doctor to get your medical records if it proves to be an issue but again we can raise the issue of police harassment and unfair treatment. I was told this isn't the first time you have been questioned regarding this case. I ask any trash you accumulate from your food and drinks you give to me.

Police often take DNA off those items to build a case. Never eat or drink during questioning, only on breaks. I'm going to warn you, the police can hold you for 48 hours for questioning, we can't get around that but they can't hold you longer without charging you. I'll explain that process briefly but I don't think it will get that far unless they have DNA, a witness or some kind of footage."

"I know the process. I don't need an explanation of the arraignment or bail."

Cooper smiled and took off his glasses. "Perfect. Do not attempt to defend or explain yourself, it will be twisted. They will also record you with a camera or listening device, be aware it can be seen in a court. Try to keep your eye rolling to a minimum and watch your sarcasm.

Everything you say will be used against you in a court of law, your better off staying silent. The Police may try and trick you, they may say it's break time and put you into a cell for a bit to scare you or ask you innocent questions as they transfer you. They may even put another person in holding that will speak to you. Everyone at this moment can be put on the stand you talk too, even another criminal. Don't speak or admit anything to anyone. If you are questioned in your cell without my presence ask for me. Do not try and handle it yourself."

Cooper stood and buttoned his expensive suit. "Before I leave to get Robin for your restroom visit, I'd like to photograph your wrists. The cuffs did a real number on you, we could use that later if necessary. Stephanie, I can't promise you they won't try and bring you in for questioning in the future but I want to start building a case for harassment to deter them."

I nodded for him to take the picture. "Ten minutes later Robin came in to take me to the bathroom. I saw Les and Slick in the hall, I gave them a sad smile and modified finger waive since my hands were cuffed. Slick nodded and Les winked. Robin had to stay in the bathroom with me but at least she turned on the sink to pretend she wasn't listening. She was being a good friend and person to me. If I got out of this mess, I promised to make more of an effort to get to know her better, maybe even become good friends.

Eventually I was placed back into the interrogation room with Cooper. Royce entered alone a few minutes later and turned on a recorder. I looked towards the one way mirror, I knew I couldn't see anyone but if Morelli was inside I wanted him to know my displeasure in not assisting me in this situation. Royce stated his name, the time and date then asked my my full name and address.

"That's a P.O. box. Where do you physically reside?" I looked at Cooper and he just nodded to respond. I wanted to kick him, he didn't know I lived with Ranger in a penthouse at Rangeman. I couldn't tell Royce any of that! It would become public record and put both of us in danger. I rolled my eyes since I wasn't on camera.

"I don't have a physical address, I moved for safety reasons and live with different friends and family at the moment. I didn't think it was wise to have a residence with a psychotic killer after me." Royce wasn't buying it.

"I've heard your estranged at the moment from your parents, I will ask again. Where do you reside most of the time?"

The snarky comment was out of my mouth before I could stop it. Somehow I channeled my inner Chris Farley and said,_ I live in a van... down by the river._" Cooper looked at me sharply and told Royce to move on.

"How did you know where to find Kate's body?" I looked at my lawyer and he nodded.

"I didn't, I guessed."

"Based on what information?"

"The killer's pattern." We were both being difficult, this was going to be a long day.

"Please elaborate."

I sighed. "He takes a woman from a certain state, that narrowed down the missing persons list you supplied me. He picks a certain type of woman. He's a creature of habit. He would have to leave the missing victim the same way as the others, just hidden. All of the women were found ten miles from their homes. I didn't pull a rabbit out of a hat."

"So you narrowed down hunting grounds and hired Trent to look for the body. You knew it was Kate based on that location, so you went to Medford to investigate. Why didn't you alert the police?"

"I never said I found Kate, Trent found the body with his team of dogs. It was six feet under, it could have been anyone. I had no proof it was her." Royce asked me the same questions as the meeting at Rangeman and I gave the same answers. Eventually he decided he was going to start at the beginning with the first victim and work his way down the list.

He asked specific questions about my knowledge and my talks with different witnesses. Royce also asked specific questions about the car I found in Miami and who was my source. Again Reid wasn't a great guy and I kinda kidnapped him so I was vague and used the words "I don't recall" a lot just like Cooper told me. I never mentioned my notes or computer because I didn't want Royce to take them from me for his personal use. When Royce would ask if I needed to refer to my notes I would point to my brain and say "I am. I don't recall." He got so annoyed he threw his pen against the wall, storming out to take a long break.

Cooper whispered in my ear "I thought we talked about that smart mouth."

I whispered back into his ear "I'm sorry I can't always help it. I'm uncomfortable, my bladder has it's own mind and I'm crazy hormonal with two Italian-Cuban babies cooking inside of me. You should be thankful I don't have any matches at this point or I may burn this whole place down... by accident of course." I didn't need my lawyer thinking I was a fire starter on top of this mess. He was trying not to smile but he knew I was kidding.

Questioning eventually continued, Cooper jumped in often telling me what was ok to answer and what was a trap. Like a machine Cooper made sure I got breaks on time, I could tell Morelli was behind the glass watching as soon as I saw my food order from Pino's. I knew he paid for this out of his own pocket but I was still mad at him for his lack of help.

The food gave me killer heart burn making me cranky, luckily Cooper had Tums for me or I would have stood up and smacked the mirror with my palm until Morelli produced some from his stash.

"Did you make up H.W. or any evidence you told the police to investigate?" I felt slapped in the face. Was he kidding?

Cooper spoke up. "Be specific."

Royce crossed his arms "The note at the hidden art studio, the hidden letter at Violet's, the flowers and note from your Grandmother's apartment and you also gave us the suspect's picture. That's a lot of evidence you found that the police missed, now a post it in plain sight in Kate's closet."

I was outraged. "Of course not! Maybe if all of you..."

Cooper touched my shoulder "Stephanie." I held the breath in my cheeks, I just wanted to chew him out.

"It's suspicious. This case is centered about you and your finding the clues. Are you doing this for attention?"

"Don't answer that! Agent unless you have proof of those accusations then you need to move on!" Royce and I both glared at each other and crossed our arms in a starring contest.

Anytime Royce tried to threaten me with DNA evidence from Kate's apartment to scare me, Cooper would demand that I be charged so he could see the evidence report myself then post my bail so I could go home. Cooper demanded often I be charged or released.

I had a feeling Royce was going to milk this time for as long as he could, he made his bed against me, he couldn't turn back now. Pathetic. By 10 at night, I had long missed my appointment with Higgins which sadden me. I didn't have a lot of happy these days that wasn't food related, I hated making a bad impression with Trent. My elbows were on the table, I used my palms as a pillow to hold up my head. I kept yawning and resting my eyes. Cooper was getting tired too from all the arguing. I should have known this would be a marathon and not a sprint.

Royce kept telling me to drink the coffee he provided, I almost told him to shove it where the sun don't shine until Cooper finally took it away from me. It was for the best, throwing hot coffee at the wall wouldn't make me look great at the moment.

Although I was answering the questions mostly true, Royce was still frustrated by my answers. He often repeated questions to try and catch me in a lie. When I would get frustrated and try to call him on things Cooper would interject. I didn't mention my funeral lead, that was my hard work and I wasn't going to throw it away on his stupidity. From now on if I had a major break or caught my suspect I was giving it all to Robin. I knew how hard it was to be a woman in this field, let alone be promoted. I heard a rumor she wanted to be detective and due to Royce's actions I was going to assist her from now on in that process.

During another one of my breaks Cooper talked to the prosecutor's office but until Royce submitted charges their hands were tied and busy. The Chief of Police didn't have any control over Royce since he was FBI and Royce's boss was a bigger asshole then Royce and Rex combined according to Cooper. I was was stuck.

Royce spoke up "Steph, we are going to take a break for a while. A cell has been set up and we will talk again in the morning." I groaned. I didn't want to go to a cell, they were scary and gross. The Trenton PD doesn't have the money to make them nice or clean, the only redeeming thing was my cell was a single due to my past occupation. That was a big weight off my shoulders, I didn't think I could stay up all night defending myself. Cooper helped me stand then Royce cuffed me and walked me to holding.

"As soon as I get out of here Royce, I'm unfriending you on Facebook." I didn't have a profile set up in my real name but he got the point. He knew now he was on my shit list and wouldn't get anymore assistance from me in the future.

"I'm just doing my job Steph." I bit my tongue so I wouldn't respond. I was half asleep walking the quiet halls of the police station when I passed Les and Slick. I noticed a discreet comm unit in Les's ear. I realized Les planted a bug on Cooper and heard everything since the beginning, figures. So much for attorney client privilege.

"Keep your head up Beautiful. We don't leave until you do." Les and Slick followed me until I reach the holding door. I saw them sit on the bench. I felt bad they were waiting for me all night.

"Go home guys. I'll call if I get released."

Les shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving here until you accompany me. I don't want the cops pulling any bullshit on you in the middle of the night or letting any unwelcome visitors in to see you." Les crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Royce. "I'll be watching like a hawk and call Cooper the moment her rights are violated." Cooper walked with me into the holding area, some of the criminals started screaming my name, others cheered or wanted to kill me. I nodded at a few old FTA's that said hi and a few people from the Burg.

Cooper checked my accommodations inside the cell then reminded me not to talk to anyone, cop, cleaning person or another prisoner. Cooper told Royce he wanted a call before Royce spoke to me again. Royce removed the handcuffs and slammed the jail cell closed.

I jumped at the sound, the lights were dimmed and people were yelling at each other in the room. I slowly checked out my new surroundings, the side walls were white concrete and a mental frame was bolted to the ground. The mattress was more of a mat with a ratty grey blanket on top. No pillow.

The toilet and sink were metal and barely working. I kept reminding myself this was a lot better then general holding. As I walked by I noticed they had a bunch of mats for the floor to lay on. I didn't trust the bed not to have lice or bed buds, so I took position in the corner against the wall sitting on the floor. It was pretty cold in here.

I was having an internal struggle, my body was exhausted but my mind wouldn't shut down. I crossed my arms over my chest to try and keep warm. Every so often I would hear a guard do a walk through but I didn't know the time. It would have been nice to have a window even it if had bars attached so I knew when it was morning by the sunlight.

I let a few silent tears fall from my eyes as I hid in the darkness. I was feeling a million different emotions, anger being the strongest. I couldn't believe I was being accused of making up evidence, Morelli knew I would never do that, I didn't even like the attention of the papers.

I also felt Royce was abusing his power trying to drain my knowledge without giving me anything in return. I would have happily shared my findings if he has shared his. I didn't move often from my corner except to use the bathroom, I always checked first no one was coming down the hall then I would run to the toilet and cover it in toilet paper and not even sit down all the way.

I didn't sleep for long but I would drift in and out. Sometimes I even pictured running a metal cup along the bars of the cell, where I would get said cup I don't know. It's probably why they don't provide one. I was even crazy tempted to scream "ATTICA!" more then once but I refrained, people were trying to sleep. Sometimes I would try to lose myself in a memory, Ranger holding me as I slept or kissing my stomach in the morning. Just little things like him sitting at his desk or drinking coffee. I sent a silent prayer he was safe and would return soon.

I know Cooper, Les and Slick were doing everything possible to help me but I had the feeling Ranger would have broken me out by now or committed a crime to join me in my cell. That thought made me laugh. It's now official everyone in our little family has been in jail, including the twins. I'm sure someone will gift me two outfits because of this experience that are black and white with prison stripes with some witty comment about spending nine months on the inside.

Tank POV

I spent all day working on Chet's background and checking in with Santos. He told me he was listening to every word and felt Steph wouldn't be charged but he was going to hold her anyway. He asked me to assign the research desk to look into Royce's background.

I also made calls to everyone I knew to try and help Steph but I wasn't Ranger, I didn't have his pull or contacts. One of my sit reps from Santos said her parents showed with Kloughn to try and get her released. A few reporters caught wind of the story too and were staking out the lobby for information. Santos told them to go home because it was just questioning and under control so they did but a reporter asked for the Plum/Kloughn family comment and they almost opened their mouths to give one. Santos barely restrained Slick from hitting the reporter and told them to keep their mouths shut and leave.

The moment Ranger finds out about this mess he will hunt Royce down and beat him to death. I will have to make sure I take him to the gym before I give him this report. I rather he fight with me on the mats then take out any anger and frustration on Steph sexually.

I know Ranger would never intentionally hurt her but being isolated on foreign soil or in a high combat area makes you shut yourself down emotionally, having a release is the easiest way to snap out of that state then finding somewhere private and spending a few days alone. From my experience on a mission, ninety-eight percent of the time you can't even find a safe place to get yourself off to relive the pressure, adding an extra charge of aggression. It's why I make a point to always pick Ranger up alone then evaluate not just his physical but mental status. Ranger would never forgive himself if he hurt Steph.

I spent most of my day watching the feed from the night of the smoke bomb. Chet was in the control room, not on the monitors but the extra man that would take over duty when one of the other employees needed a break. Chet would know exactly when Manny would use that stove to set the timers for the smoke bombs.

I watched the tape three times, when the internal alarms go off, Chet jumps up and tells control he will secure the lobby floor and check out the bathroom. I watched him prop the door open letting more smoke release, masking the camera's view of the door. Chet could have easily waited for Steph to come down then taken her. He could have used the excuse he was securing her with Ella at the safe house two streets over then faked an attack on himself. It was smart and well planned. Steph was know for being impulsive and trusting which would have worked in his favor.

Periodically I would fast forward through the hidden camera at Chet's apartment but I didn't see anything suspicious going on inside. During dinner I added a few exteriors cameras as well just in case anyone was staking out his condo.

I started making a list of possible motives to run through with Chet tonight, he wouldn't say the words but he is hurt, tired, hungry and not always aware of his body language. It was almost midnight by the time I left Rangeman to go over to the Hamilton house. I always made sure to switch my vehicle to the rental then run different patterns to loose any tail before I went to my destination.

As I entered the room that held Chet I noticed he was slumped over. "Wake up princess!" I reviewed my list one more time then shoved it into my pocket. I removed his gag and blind fold, his eyes were filled with rage. I took a seat and made myself comfortable.

"Ranger's on his way back soon, I thought I would give him the honor of killing you... He favors his blade, it's impressive watching him remove parts of a man's body piece by piece. He doesn't take kindly to someone messing with his property Chet... No one will rescue you. I've made sure of that. No one even knows your missing at Rangeman, they think your out sick from the car accident then going on assignment.

If anyone goes to your place I will know, you might as well tell me what I want to know. Who else is involved?" Nothing. I placed a neck brace on his neck so he had to look in my eyes instead of the ground. I tightened the chains on the wall so he couldn't bend over to avoid our conversation.

I took a seat back in my chair. "Is this about someone Ranger killed? Someone he let die in active duty?" No response. Not even a twitch. I had a feeling that wasn't the cause, Chet would have made a move against Ranger sooner not years later.

"I know it's not about money, your accounts have a good chuck in savings... If this was about a ransom, your trained well enough to kidnap an easier target, anyone else would have been smarter then taking Steph. You knew the consequences before you planned all of this, it tells me you don't care about your own life. We both know the moment you were brought here you were dead...Your protecting someone who?"

I saw a flash of a frown line between his brows for a second. This was about someone else. Good. Progress. I started to name people at Rangeman but Chet didn't react. I knocked him around a little then went to the kitchen to rethink my game plan.

He was protecting someone... I spent an hour making a list of all the people he interacted with then checked his apartment cameras. I noticed a weird shadow in one shot. I saw person dressed in all black wearing a mask and hat looking into the window. I switched angles to the outside feed and enhanced the image. I couldn't tell anything about the person except it was a woman, she tried to hide that fact in men's clothing but her height and figure were too petite to be a man. I looked over my list of suspects, he hasn't had a steady girl since his army days.

A normal citizen wouldn't have covered her body and put on a mask unless she was trying to hide her identity which left me with Jeanne Ellen. I had to test my theory and sell it, I wasn't a good actor but I had my moments. I cracked my knuckles then reentered Chet's room. I leaned against a wall, crossing my arms looking carefree. I gave Chet a big smile.

"Surveillance caught Jeanne Ellen at your place looking for you an hour ago. Santos shot her in the head then dumped her body." Chet's eyes enraged like a wild animal, he pulled on the chains like he wanted to kill me. Gotcha Fool. My smile grew bigger and I laughed.

"You were banging Jeanne Ellen the biggest information slut in Trenton... she gets more action then all the ho's on Stark. Pathetic. What did she tell you, that you were the only one and she loved you? That Ranger wanted her dead and you needed to be a big strong man and save her? It would have been smarter for her to just disappearance with you. I didn't realize you were such a fool." I saw Chet crumbling emotionally in his eyes like his whole world just ended... his hope was finally gone.

"I'm not foolish to believe in happily ever after Tank, I helped her because Ranger wanted her dead and she was pregnant with my child. Both of you wiped out her funds and I didn't have enough to run away with her and start over. I did it for the baby. It doesn't matter anymore." Chet looked defeated.

I started laughing hard. "You believed her! Damn your stupid. If she was pregnant it probably wasn't even yours and she would have gotten an abortion anyway. She isn't the warm motherly type, she's the type to eat her young. She was using you."

Chet shook his head. "I went to the doctor's appointment with her, I saw the sonogram, the tech told me the time period. It matched up with the times we fucked." I still didn't believe it.

"Where? What name did she use?"

"A clinic in Willow Grove, she gave a fake name Amy Anderson back in December."

"How did you communicate?"

"She came to me or would leave me a note to meet her somewhere."

"What was your plan with Steph? She's pregnant too, an innocent in all of this. Jeanne Ellen would have hurt her or killed her."

"I wouldn't have allowed that. We were going to ransom her back, I was going to get Ranger's word he'd let Jeanne live so I could have my child. I'm not stupid to believe he would never look for us but I would have vanished. I'm not saying I would have married Jeanne, I was in it for the baby."

I shook my head and left the room. I checked the records of the clinic, Amy Anderson did have an appointment in December but it doesn't say what she was treated for or prescribed any prenatal vitamins. I checked staff records and saw a day after her appointment a technician made several large purchases beyond their means. Chet was played by Jeanne Ellen, a part of me felt bad for him.

I held the print out in front of his face. "Jeanne Ellen must have found out or you told her you didn't have any family left. She must have figured out by faking a pregnancy you would do anything to protect your blood. Look. I know you don't believe me. The tech was paid off too, look at these purchases a day after that appointment. I'm sure they played a video to trick you and Jeanne Ellen told her the date to make her story match." I watched as all the blood drained from Chet's face.

"How long were you sleeping with her?"

"On and off for a couple of months. I knew she was persona non grata for Rangeman but I was horny, she was willing and flexible." I wanted to slap him upside the head. I was going to have to ask every man in the building now if Jeanne Ellen was screwing them too. You got to be freaking kidding me. Maybe Ranger and I should discretely supply nights out for the men to hit the strip club once in a while... I wonder if that counts as an employee morale booster.

I sighed and sat in my chair. "Did you tell her any secrets about Rangeman? Was anyone else involved in this plan?"

Chet didn't look at me, just at the ceiling. "No. I never told her any Rangeman secrets... She was curious, she would ask information about Ranger but I never answered. It was more of a screw and leave situation until she told me she was pregnant...I told her about Steph's security measures, not all but the ones that were obvious from just looking at her and I was the one that told Jeanne Ellen Steph was in Miami. I planted the false lead that Silvio eventually told Slick... She asked me to help for the sake of our baby."

"Why didn't you come to us? We would have made sure she delivered first if she was pregnant then dealt with her. We have protocols in place for things like this, ransoms, kidnappings, manipulations. Why be a lone wolf?"

"It involved Steph. Ranger doesn't compromise when it involves her. I didn't believe Ranger would spare Jeanne Ellen at the end of the day. I was afraid to take the chance by alerting you to the situation. I knew the moment she told me she was pregnant and needed my help I was a dead man...I've made peace with that a long time ago...tell Ranger I'm truly sorry." I left the room silently, undecided what to do with Chet. I could kill him, leave him for Ranger to kill or let him go. I'm not a stupid man, he's a great actor. The show from the car accident was Oscar worthy and he could be playing me right now as one last ditch effort for freedom now that he thinks Jeanne Ellen is dead. When your desperate you will say and do anything to survive.

If I let him go today, he could come back one day with a new plan of attack, causing severe casualties with his knowledge of Rangeman's protocols and layout of the building. I also wasn't sure if he had more going on with Jeanne Ellen then he admitted. It wasn't so long ago Jeanne Ellen told me she was sleeping with Cross. I couldn't rule out his involvement at the moment in her plan. I wouldn't put it past him to give her a little cash if he knew Jeanne Ellen was going after Ranger just for his own amusement or supply her with a place to hide.

I knew Chet could never return or be trusted at Rangeman. Mistake or not, he made his choice a long time ago. I let him go and Ranger kills me then hunts Chet down. I took a deep breath and looked over my supplies in my bag.

Taking a life was never easy, I never made the decision lightly. Sometimes it was the only option to ensure not just Rangeman's future but the life of an innocent blue eyed brunette, who did nothing other then exist. In that moment I had made my decision. I started pulling out bleach, gloves, tarp and tape, my last kindness to Chet would be to make it quick and painless.


	65. Chapter 65

SPOV

When Cooper told me I could be held for forty-eight hours I thought I would be released after twenty-four. Somehow my crappy one night turned into two. I felt dirty from a lack of shower, I had circles under my eyes from a lack of sleep and I looked like a crazy person in disheveled clothes. I was also feeling paranoid, edgy and cranky to put it kindly.

When I looked in the mirror this morning for my bathroom break, I was as cold and pale as a vampire. I felt like a caged animal circling not just in my cell but the interrogation room. Cooper warned me more then once it was best I just stay silent most of the second day and try to be seated as much as possible. If I thought the first day was annoying, the second day was a bottomless pit of torment on my mind and body.

Currently I was waiting against the wall near the booking desk with Cooper. "Five more minutes Steph. I just need to review your release papers, you sign then leave." I just nodded. I knew Cooper was trying to help by pushing this process along but I hit a new point of agitation in my life. I didn't want to take it out on him just because he was talking to me.

To be honest it was best that no one spoke to me for the rest of the day. At this point, tired was an understatement. I was on the brink of tears, even swallowing was painful. My throat was sore and scratchy, thanks to the FBI and Trenton PD, I was probably sick with a cold. It took all my strength to address Cooper civilly.

"I understand Rangeman hired you, I'd like to settle the bill personally. This wasn't about Rangeman, I don't want them to pay."

Cooper frowned. "It's best they pay... I don't come cheap." He was trying to say nicely he looked at my finances under my legal name, knowing I didn't have any accounts in my name to pay him.

I glared at Cooper and crossed my arms, I felt like a feral cat on guard ready to attack. I liked Cooper and in the right state of mind I would let that go. "Send me the bill Cooper, you will get your check immediately." I didn't recognize my own voice, it was harsh and bitter, I tried to soften my tone. "Thank you again. You were worth every penny."

Cooper was a smart man, he knew a woman on edge, he demanded the desk Sargent to move his ass along with those papers. I was fidgeting so bad Slick told me to sit down. I dropped into a chair next to a young kid in cuffs, he was looking at me scared like I was going to attack him. He held his breath and kept his eyes firmly on the ground. I couldn't sit still, my knee was lightly bouncing while I crossed my arms over my chest. I tried to block out the last twenty-four hours but my mind wouldn't shut down. I shivered, reliving it in my head.

I was awoken at four am by Eddie, he told me Morelli was ordered by the Chief to stay away from me due to our history but Joe was on a war path that I was being held in a cell. He went to not just Royce's superiors, the Chief but the prosecutor's office. Eddie said it was so bad Joe was forced into a three say suspension to cool off. He may also be thrown off the task force as well. That wasn't like Joe, I knew right then I should be concerned something bad was coming down the line.

Eddie told me only a few people believed I planted evidence but Royce had something up his sleeve that he was holding tight to the chest to present to me later that day. I became unnerved and agitated. I had no idea what he had but I knew I couldn't last much longer in this cell. Cooper told me not to talk to anyone but I trusted Eddie, he wasn't just an honest cop and friend, we were family. He would never lie or try to scare me because he was ordered too.

Eddie told me to keep my mouth shut and let Cooper do all of the talking. By six, I looked and felt like shit from lack of sleep and stress. Royce took me back to the interrogation room where I met Cooper, he asked me if I was ok and ordered I be given breakfast and juice before we began. A juice box and a small muffin isn't what I would call breakfast but it was better then nothing. Cooper of course was outraged on my behalf and demanded I receive more food and water.

Once I finished my last bite of artificial blueberry, Royce immediately came at me with pictures of a woman dressed in casual clothes and jeans wearing a hat over her curly brown hair. Our body shapes were similar but she shopped at a hardware stores, Walmart and a few others places I haven't been too in months. The items purchased according to the footage were makeup, clothes, tape, tarp, masks, gloves, cleaning supplies, shovels, antifreeze, turpentine and a few plants. I knew that wasn't me. Then I saw footage from Maggie Austin's lobby where you could see a woman dressed causally wearing a baseball hat with a man next to her talking to security and him giving us a CD.

You couldn't see our faces but I knew that was me and Slick, luckily yesterday I never denied speaking to security in the first place. I admitted he gave me the footage. Cooper jumped in immediately and told me not to answer, he pointed out Royce couldn't prove I entered the apartment. I didn't think things could get worse, I wasn't looking great at the moment but not the worst person in the world either. Royce told me he had spoken to a few of my friends and family, Dickie had many colorful stories about me being crazy and psychotic. I knew Royce was trying to egg me on, it was working. Cooper demanded to speak to me in private under the premise to confer facts but the whole time trying to calm me down.

When we resumed a tech brought in a hotline CD, several anonymous people reported I had threatened them, about keeping their mouths shut about seeing me in certain places, others said I offered them money to call in false tips. One man in particular said I paid him $500 to plant evidence. Royce accused me of not just purposely inserting myself into the investigation but of being an accomplice. In that moment I looked at Cooper and asked if he was out of his damn mind.

Cooper cut off the line of questioning once he ascertained the exact dates and times of the footage. In private Cooper asked me to be honest and admit what I knew. The lobby was the only real footage of me. I swore up and down I had never threatened those people from the hotline or paid anyone to lie. Cooper didn't look bleak but he told me this didn't look good. All of this evidence was collected from the last few weeks, I felt like I was being set up yet unsure who did this to me. At that point I stopped answering all of Royce's questions and just kept rubbing my hands over my face and eyes as Cooper fought for me.

I knew Slick and Les were listening into this conversation, I was hoping they would pull evidence of my innocence. During my stretch of silence I realized quickly the first day of questioning was Royce trying to figure out the facts, trying to trip me up in my knowledge of the case, yesterday was a complete setup for his ambush today. If the photos, footage and hotline calls weren't bad enough Royce produced a credit card statement issued to my legal name listing more suspicious purchases like chloroform.

I knew that wasn't my credit card, I no longer had any accounts in my legal name but someone had used my information to open one. In terms of Morelli's stalker notes, it was pointed out to me in three years of our relationship I had a key to his place and could have easily made a copy after we broke up to enter his home anytime or leave notes on his back door. According to an eye witness, a neighbor saw me at his home around Christmas, I admitted I was dropping off a gift with Slick but Joe was home.

I knew deep down I was innocent but I looked guilty. My history of finding dead bodies was brought up as well as my past, of the people I had killed in self defense or had died in my presence due to circumstances regarding me. More fuel to the fire at the point and I couldn't do anything to defend myself. Even with breaks I was deteriorating, I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I would have given anything for a decent meal and a nap.

When Slick and Les requested Cooper's presence in the hall bringing in an envelope to prove my innocence, I could have kissed Ranger for having camera's at Rangeman. Tank had sent copies to prove that wasn't me shopping or using the credit card. Cooper argued for my freedom, he pointed out that the anonymous callers didn't leave a name so I couldn't be charged with a crime without an face to my accuser.

Royce didn't even flinch, being an ass he didn't release me. Instead he insisted on the police authenticating the feed to make sure Rangeman didn't alter evidence to protect me. That led to my second night in the cell, my first night was practically Disneyland compared to the horrors I faced.

I thought drunk people singing "_Private Eyes_" by Hall and Oates, most of the night, was the worst it could get but I was proven wrong. A man was placed into the cell next to mine while having gastrointestinal issues. He bitched about bloating, cramps, sweating then I heard sounds that I could only describe as someone dropping a lung or kidney into splashing rapids.

I was frozen in my corner covering my mouth and nose with my shirt, closing my eyes tight and placing my hands over my ears singing anything I could think of in my mind, unfortunately "_Private Eyes_" was the only song I could remember. The stench was like a rotting corpse, his narration of the experience making it so much worse. Hearing that he felt violated by his fiery sphincter, wishing for death, made the other prisoners scream and riot in their cells for fresh air. The sounds grew so loud a guard finally entered to check the issue then screamed he could taste it and ran out.

Eventually an officer with a gas mask brought in a can of Febreze but the emotional damage was done. The man was removed to be seen by a doctor but the prisoners never settled down and moaned all night about the horror. Hence my cranky, edgy attitude this morning as I waited for my release papers.

Royce eventually took his time walking over to Cooper with the papers in hand. Cooper passed me the clip board once he read the document. "I'm sorry about the last two days Steph, I was just doing my job." He didn't even look sorry to me, he was hiding behind his stupid cop face.

I looked at Royce, narrowing my eyes. "You say your sorry but I don't accept. I don't even look like the type of person to lock someone in a basement!" I tilted my head towards the man ten feet away from me in cuffs, he was big and mean looking with cat whisker's tattooed to his face. I lowered my voice and gritted my teeth "He's the kind of person who would have a weird smell coming from his trunk." Cooper overheard our conversation and stepped to the other side to get away from the man. I was discombobulated, my filter was off and the guy was now staring at me. I nodded innocently. "Hey. What's up."

I turned back to Royce."You could have cut the crap and showed me your fake evidence the first hour you brought me in or put a rush on the authentication of the footage from Rangeman last night and released me later that day. You purposely held me for two days! You were completely in the wrong and all you have to say is sorry and hide behind your job...Get out of my sight you spineless piece of shit!"

I dropped the clip board with the release papers loudly against the desk and stormed away. My whole body hurt from the ground and chair. I was tired, sick, pissed and gross. My wrists were black and blue and if it wasn't for the adrenaline, I wouldn't be able to walk at this moment. I heard Cooper loudly tell Royce to issue me a public apology, but I wasn't holding my breath.

Les and Slick chased after me down the hall. "Beautiful you ok?" I just kept walking towards the parking lot, I couldn't stop, I couldn't talk. I just needed to be outside in the fresh air, I needed to be free. I pushed the doors open stopping short. Even though it was cold outside with snow lightly falling it was exactly what I needed. Les and Slick were talking to me but I had no idea what they were saying.

I said in a small voice with my eyes still closed to keep the tears from falling. "Get me out of here... Please get me away." I was shaking a little. Les wrapped his arm around me guiding me to the car. He had to practically lift me into the backseat then removed my jacket checking me for injuries. Les grabbed my cheeks with his hands trying to get me to look at him in the eyes.

"Beautiful... Steph. I need you to respond. Are you hurt? Are you sick?"

I wanted to tell him I was ok, I couldn't. I was practically catatonic from exhaustion. Les grabbed my entire body pulling me against his chest and neck using his jacket and Slick's to warm my cold body, rubbing his hands up and down my back. I closed my eyes against Les's neck, I was too tired for tears, finally feeling safe, I let my mind and body rest.

When I awoke, Les was asleep in a chair he brought in from the living room while Ella was sitting on my bed reading. I could tell it was night. I looked down at my body, somehow I was in a tank top and pj shorts. I smelled fresh and clean but not my normal scent. I had no recollection of how I arrived here. I searched my mind for my last thought, I was standing in the snow.

"Ella?"

Ella marked her page, placing her book down and gave me a warm smile and a squeeze to my hand. "Hello dear. Everything's ok. Your safe at home." By my confused look she continued.

"Lester brought you to Rangeman, I cleaned you up and placed you into bed with Lester's help." My eyes widened. "Don't worry, I gave you the sponge bath and changed you myself." I was red with embarrassment.

"Thank you. I'm sorry you had to do that."

Ella was playing with my hair "Nonsense. I think of you as my own. Tank insisted I stay, I'm lucky I have an assistant to help me. I'm going to grab you some food now. I know you haven't had a decent meal in days. I swear if you were held for one more day, I would have baked a file into a cake for you to escape.

I told Tank to break you out as well. Shameful what was done to you. I almost called the Chief of Police to give him a piece of my mind." I smirked. It wasn't often I saw Ella peeved and flustered. Les woke up during Ella's tirade. He wiped his eyes and gave me a lazy smile. Like a cat he jumped onto the bed wrapping his arm around me.

He was clean shaven and dressed in pj pants and t-shirt but I could tell he was tired. "You scared the hell out of me. Never do that again." Les kissed the side of my head as Ella brought in a tray for me. Chicken noodle soup, bread, chocolate pudding, herb chicken, some mixed vegetables and mash potatoes. Les's stomach complained so Ella made him as tray as well to eat with me.

I gave him a playful disapproving look. "Ranger has rules. I bet you in his bed is one and us eating in his bed is another."

Les smiled and laughed. "I was told this is was your place too. Ranger isn't here to kill me, so I will sprawl out and enjoy it while I can." I was tired but starving, Ella reminded me to eat slow.

"How long have I been out? It's night so I'm guessing most of the day?"

Les looked at me and frowned, unsure how to respond. He placed a lock of my hair behind my ear "24 hours. You were suffering from mild exhaustion, some sleep deprivation, a little dehydration, stress and your blood pressure was high but not dangerous enough to keep you in the hospital. You do have to be on bed rest for a day or two. When you didn't respond, we had your doctor meet us at the hospital under a fake name to examine you. I explained you may still be in danger so when you woke briefly, I signed you out and brought you home. Your ok, the twins are ok but you have to take it easy."

I felt the air knocked out of me. "I can't believe I've lost three days this week." I turned to him serious "Do you know who set me up?"

"No. Rest and eat. I need you to focus on you right now. Slick has been working on the case and will update you tomorrow." Les and I kept eating while Ella excused herself for the night.

"Ranger seriously needs a TV in this bedroom. I don't know how he lives like this."

I shoved my spoon of my pudding into my mouth. "He barely watches TV unless I do." It's been a few weeks, I thought he would be back by now.

"Catch me up. What have I missed?"

"Tank cleared the building of possible threats. He thinks Jeanne Ellen was sleeping with Chet, manipulating him into assisting her. He asked every man in building if they were sleeping with her, past and present to come forward without punishment... Five men came forward but they didn't have a relationship, she approached them for sex and they declined."

"So Chet was fired?"

"Chet is gone. It doesn't change the fact you need to be smart and always have your gun on you, even in this building. Make sure your not so trusting of every employee too. Tank and I agreed you only receive certain men as guards when Slick has his days off, you can look at the list but there isn't much wiggle room." I was crushing a ton of crackers into my soup, I loved crackers.

"That's too many, no more." Les grabbed the cracker roll from my hand. I looked him in the eyes, raising the spoon to my lips. "I really don't need that kind of negativity in my life right now." I took a bite then grabbed the crackers back, hiding them under my shirt for protection. Les was wildly amused.

"Do you get bad employees often?"

"Between Miami and Trenton maybe five out of three years, Boston and Atlanta had a bunch. It's one of the reasons we sold. My best friend Bobby Brown runs them now with a bunch of investors, it's getting better but they need more time and discipline... I'm also working on this new case for the Feds right now. I may need your help but we need to keep it between us, I'll get you the details tomorrow."

I nodded. Did I really want to help any Fed at the moment no, but Les was helping me it was only fair. "It's almost February, any word on Ranger?"

"He's made all check ins, sometimes things take time... Don't look sad, he's good at his job. I've seen him take longer then expected to ensure not only his safety but our team."

"What should I do when he returns? Act normal, hang a banner that says welcome home? We've never been in this situation before... I'm not sure I should make a big deal that I'm happy about his return or not, even though I will be."

"I'd skip the banner and party, that's more my style. Something I'd like every time I come to visit." I elbowed him. "My advice, wear something sexy and tell him you love and missed him. That's all he wants to hear and when you update him about what he missed, based on my experience... not that I believe you'd do this but don't make him feel guilty about missing events, holidays or certain important things that happened in your life. Trust me, we already know and feel bad about it without anyone telling us."

I finished my soup in an unladylike fashion. "Like I said, your dating the wrong women." I giggled. "What's your deal anyway? Do you want to be a bachelor forever?"

Les was scrapping his plate clean. "I'd like a long term partner, I'm not personally sold on kids but I'll never say never. I look at you and Ranger and think it's possible. I never had that before. I thought all of us would die together. What's your deal about marriage? If Ranger asks you, would you say yes?"

"I don't know, it depends on his reason for asking... where we are as a couple. Kids complicate things. I know I'm not ready right now, sometimes marriage makes you feel stuck and suffocated. I don't want that for either of us. Sometimes we have this moments of normalcy but neither of us will be fully domesticated... We don't have a normal relationship, I don't see us having a normal marriage."

"Have you ever thought of marrying him?"

"Yeah. When he was the best man for a wedding for his friend and I was made of honor, I pictured myself marrying him, it was such a head trip I almost fell taking someone out with me. I've thought about it on and off since I became pregnant... it's not a good time for either of us. I love him, that's not the issue...It's like what I told my mother, a piece of paper isn't a guarantee, it's just a piece of paper." I could see Les working something out in his mind.

"If it's just a piece of paper why not sign it? I'm pretty sure Ranger wants too someday."

I gaped. "He told you that?" I felt giddy inside, my heart warmed at the thought.

"Yeah but he knows your hang ups. He's not going to rush you, keep an open mind if he asks. It's hard enough putting yourself out there, rejection is a tough pill to swallow."

I frowned "It's not because of them is it?" I placed both my hands on my stomach. "He's an honorable man, I don't want him for the wrong reasons. I don't want to get married a second time just to divorce again... my heart couldn't take it or my back account."

"It's none of my business but if you ever split he'd provide for you in every way. Your bank account would grow not diminish."

I shook my head. "No. I think we'd each sign a prenup for each other. He needs to protect Rangeman and his accounts and I need to protect mine. Neither of us are interested in each other's money but divorce brings out the worst in people." I smacked my head with my palm. "Les we aren't even engaged and I'm talking about divorce... I don't want to think about this anymore."

I didn't finish all my food so Les did. "You should eat more Beautiful, the doctor says your still a little underweight, it's not an issue now but it could be in the future."

"I'm full, another bite I'll puke." I laid my head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about the trouble I've caused Rangeman, Cooper's sending me the bill. I already left a check with accounting before I left for the shore for Hector's time with that fake id along with Grandma Mazur's monthly security payment. If I owe anything else from the last three days let me know."

Les looked down at me, pissed. "Ranger makes you pay for help?"

"Not exactly, it's complicated. He says no price but I feel guilty, I don't want to bleed the company. I pay back what I can and bought him the car for Christmas to make up what he wouldn't take from me."

"You need to get out of that way of thinking, Ranger makes a good chunk of change from his government work and you have never bleed the company. All of those cars destroyed cost nothing. Ranger has an agreement, cars for services and the bodyguard hours weren't many, those he did pay out of pocket but you more then paid him back with that car.

As far as Hector's time, it took fifteen minutes, activation takes the computer two hours. When anyone in the core team has an official spouse our budget includes their security as well, a prevention measure. Slick's cost is in our budget and Rangeman can more then afford him especially since it cuts down attacks against you. If I get a spouse she would be included too, it was Tank's idea from the start. And the lawyer is on retainer..."

I had to cut him off. "It wasn't Rangeman business. I'm paying for it... don't tell Ranger."

Les laughed. "Oh I won't but he reads the reports, he will see it and be annoyed. He's a proud man, he doesn't like being paid back for help. You both need to come to some compromise or this will be a perfect storm someday." I grabbed a tissue to blow my nose, my throat was a little sore still.

Les sighed. "Let's talk happy. I've found Ranger's Valentine's gift from you." Les grabbed my laptop bringing up the site. "I typed in alpha male gifts, this site has man crates, funny but useful. Most of their items come in a crate with a crow bar however the item I picked doesn't. I ordered a crate special yesterday for you, from a different company."

I narrowed my eyes confused. "Why put it in a crate?"

Les shrugged his shoulders "Trust me it's a man thing. Ranger would rather pry something open then unwrap a box... now look. Technically it's a diaper bag for a man but it looks like an green army tactical bag. It's called a mobile child care command center, he will love that. It comes with a bunch of stuff one being _The Baby Owner's manual: Operating instructions, trouble shooting tips and advice on the first year maintenance."_ This was pretty cool.

"And on this site, here is a classy leather bag for when it's a dressier occasion for him... I noticed that purse looking thing last week that you will use, that won't fly with him. I'm saving both of you a fight, have separate bags." It was true, mine would be a messy, most likely missing important items while Ranger's would be organized, well stocked and have things I couldn't even imagine. I could see it leading to a huge fight if we shared a bag on top of dealing with two screaming infants.

"I love both but it's not very romantic." I started logging in my payment info for him. "I buy him a lot of baby things as side gifts... I wanted something for him. In Miami we found these cool dominoes at this antique store, he said they looked just like his grandfather's... I want something like that for him."

Les groaned. "I usually buy him something work related at Christmas or a weapon. I'll have to think about it and get back to you."

That reminded me. "Hey! Where is my surprise you promised?" Les got excited like a little boy, running from the bed into the living room.

"I picked up laser tag for us, I was going to leave your pack and gun at the penthouse door with a note that said _May the odds be ever in your favor _since we watched _Hunger Games. W_inner picks first movie on our binge night."

I smiled, Les was such a goofball."I love it. Tomorrow." I bit my lip. "I know you don't want to talk about work but I can't stop thinking about it. I can't relax until I know."

Les sighed. "Not sure. The credit card was opened online and sent to your old address. My guess someone picked the lock on the box and took it from the mail. It wasn't a high limit, we already informed the company it wasn't you, I doubt someone will try and use it again but I had Hector put an alert on it to inform Slick... In a few more days Hector would have caught that account during his monthly check on the core team and you so it wouldn't have been a secret long.

The footage of the woman was crappy, she was wearing a hat blocking her face and had brown curly hair, a lot of women do. She may not even me involved just a random person, she used cash in the footage to purchase items not the credit card. The places the credit card was used didn't have cameras in the store or surrounding areas. The hotline calls were all from burner phones over the last three weeks. It could be a prank or someone with a grudge, I personally see it as a strategic attack." He lost me.

"Listen. Someone, maybe the killer wants you to look crazy and unreliable. If they isolate you from help and friends, you will be an easier target especially if your charged, out on bail. You wouldn't be allowed to leave the state, if you did run you would be alone. My theory is he's following you and your progress.

Slick used his time waiting at the PD to contact all of the funeral homes and send a picture for them to review. He thought if he could catch the suspect it would set you free. No one contacted him as far as I know, he also ran background checks for all the vendors of the funeral homes for you to review tomorrow. We both looked at the information, I didn't see a clear pattern across the board."

Les looked at the clock "It's late. I'll be working out of Ranger's office up here on my case tomorrow and we can bounce ideas off each other. Slick's off the next two days but he said you could call him anytime." Les was tucking me in then kissed my forehead, I didn't love being babied but at the moment it was comforting.

He was almost out the door when I spoke."Thank you Les.. for everything."

Les smirked. "We're family Beautiful. No matter what happens, that will never change."

RPOV

Two days ago Dom spotted one of the kidnappers in a downstairs window, no one had eyes on the asset. Based on people's movements inside the home, I narrowed it down to somewhere on the West side of the first floor. Twenty-two men are being used for security, internally, externally and on the roads.

Although a large number, none of them had military experience except the man in charge. I didn't see any children in the home, only a young woman occasionally passing by the window on the second floor. My gut, a mistress, she lacked a ring on her finger but sported large implants. Two older women took care of home and an older man maintained the grounds.

I knew I needed to act soon, the main boss being away made security lax. Unfortunately it has been down pouring the last two days limiting our movements and ability to set up devices at multiple points for the distraction to draw most of the men away. I had a good feeling about tomorrow, weather permitting I was ready to make my move.

Over the last few days I switched my position several times taking out a few cameras along the way making it look like the storm was at fault. Now being on the West side of the compound, I was watching and waiting to see if anyone would repair the cameras. I made sure to spread the damage in multiple areas to keep suspicion to a minimum then I ordered Oxanna to the East to place devices early in the morning before dawn.

I've known since the beginning the walls couldn't be blasted, I also knew they didn't have sensors or electric current based on the birds periodically sitting and not setting off any alarms or dying. I watched all of the men, how they walked, carried themselves, held their guns. All were hired hands which was good and bad. The men were lazy, instead of fixing the cameras immediately they barely investigated due to the weather. If the commanding officer died, most of the men would abandon ship, no loyalty or brotherhood in this group.

The downside of hired hands, they were unpredictable, when nervous they often shot wildly, occasionally hitting a target by dumb luck. I had already given Oxanna the order to take out the the commanding officer of the cartel anytime after we entered the compound if she had the shot. The more chaos the less likely anyone would notice us.

I planned to enter over the wall by climbing on Dom's shoulders then laying a blanket over the barbed wire, pulling him up over the wall. The lighting was ineffective for this compound, making it easier to hide in the shadows. I wanted to enter through a side door where two guards would be posted, Dom and I would each have to take out a man silently.

It was hard to predict what would happen to the gates once the distraction occurred. Most likely a lock down, that meant stealing a car was out of the question, I couldn't ram this gate. I'd have to go back over the wall with the asset, enter the jungle for a few miles then raft him out down the river. It wasn't ideal but it was the best option at the moment.

I couldn't travel a week in a jungle with an asset on foot, that would get us caught and take too much time. The river had it's own dangers but connecting two rafts together using the first as a safety, if it becomes compromised it would alert us to danger and we would cut it lose and know to get out of the river till light.

Looking at my map we would have to ride the river for a few days until we hit a safe area to obtain a vehicle. I didn't trust the airport, although it was the fastest option, it would be the first place for the cartel to look. My other option was Colombia. Not my favorite place to be but money talks, we could buy our way out on a private plan or drive into Peru.

I had an option to take a boat out of Ecuador but once I committed to that direction, I was stuck without any other options. I started running my plan over and over in my mind looking for weaknesses when I was broken from my thoughts from different animals moving down below...I felt something drop beside me to my right. I slowly pulled my knife and looked without any sudden movements.

A monkey was sitting next to me eating a piece of fruit like he was Tank on a stakeout with me. I glared at him but he didn't move, we ended up in a staring contest, both determined not to cave first.


End file.
